The New York Islanders defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 Friday night despite suffering multiple injuries to three of their defenseman. Alexander Romanov had missed the Islanders’ previous three games with an upper-body injury and temporarily went to the locker room but later returned. However, Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly sustained injuries that did not allow them to return to action.
Here was the hit on Reilly by Greenway pic.twitter.com/wE2Oegdj29
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) November 2, 2024
The Sabres got on the board first courtesy of Dylan Cozen’s powerplay goal 9:03 into the first period. He found the loose puck in front of the net before burying it past Ilya Sorokin. Just 40 seconds later, Bo Horvat tied the game with a breakaway goal fed by Islanders’ captain Anders Lee.
The first period concluded with a 1-1 tie, but Maxim Tsyplakov showcased his patience and hands just over five minutes into the second period when he put the Islanders on top 2-1. Seven minutes after that, Tsyplakov once again found his way on the scoresheet with a beautiful pass on the powerplay to Kyle Palmieri to extend the Islanders’ lead to 3-1.
Down 3-1 in the third period, Tage Thompson’s shot found its way to Jason Zucker’s glove and over Sorokin’s head to cut the Sabres’ deficit to 3-2. This goal came after a Scott Mayfield minor penalty led to Zucker being granted a penalty shot that was rejected by Sorokin’s left pad.
Just over two minutes after the Sabres made it a one-goal game, Jean-Gabriel Pageau found the loose puck and put it in the back of the net, putting the Islanders back on top by two goals. While Owen Power tallied a goal with just over a minute to go in regulation, the Sabres were unable to force overtime as the Islanders ended their three-game losing streak with an impressive win in Buffalo.
The Islanders will next play on Sunday (Nov. 3) against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Sabres will head to Detroit tomorrow (Nov. 2) to take on the Red Wings.
