Islanders Blanked at Home by Red-Hot Sabres in 5-0 Rout
The Islanders came back to Long Island hoping to build momentum, but instead ran into a Buffalo Sabres team that’s finding its stride at the wrong time for anyone in their path. What started as a tightly contested matchup quickly unraveled into a 5-0 defeat - a game that got away from New York in the second half and never came back.
Bo Horvat returned to the lineup and, if there’s a silver lining here, he looked healthy and active in his 19-plus minutes of ice time. He led the push with four shots on goal, and Emil Heineman was even more aggressive with six. But none of the Islanders’ 13 shooters could solve Alex Lyon, who turned in a rock-solid performance in net for Buffalo.
The turning point came late in the second period. With the Islanders still within striking distance, a breakdown in backchecking proved costly.
Tage Thompson capitalized, making it 2-0 after a defensive lapse from the line of Mat Barzal, Anders Lee, and Anthony Duclair. That trio was stapled to the bench for the third period - a clear message from Patrick Roy about accountability.
Then, just 25 seconds into the final frame, things went from bad to worse. David Rittich lunged with a poke check attempt that left him exposed, and Jason Zucker made him pay with his second goal of the game. From there, the Sabres had control.
Roy tried to spark something by pulling Rittich for an extra attacker with over seven minutes left, but the gamble backfired. Rasmus Dahlin buried an empty-netter at 14:02, and Buffalo added one more less than a minute later to officially turn it into a rout.
To be fair, the Islanders did generate a few quality looks when the game was still within reach - Max Shabanov had a clean breakaway that Lyon shut down, and there were some flashes of pressure early. But overall, it was a flat performance from a team that needed more. Rittich stopped just 16 of 20 shots, and every Islander skater was on the ice for at least one goal against - except for Adam Boqvist.
What’s Next
The Isles hit the road again for a Tuesday clash in Philadelphia, and the stakes are rising. The Flyers are just two points behind them in the standings, with Toronto and New Jersey also breathing down their necks.
New York managed to survive a grueling seven-game road trip with a roughly .500 record, but two of those wins came thanks to Ilya Sorokin standing on his head. The losses?
Not much to write home about.
The Eastern Conference playoff picture is tight, and the Islanders have been clinging to a spot. But if they don’t start stringing wins together soon - especially before the Olympic break - they could find themselves on the outside looking in.