Eichel gives Sabres lift by Knights
Jack Eichel scored two goals to lead the Sabres to their second straight win, 4-2, over the Vegas Golden Knights yesterday in Buffalo.
Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville had the other goals and Carter Hutton made 35 saves for the Sabres (2-1-0), who have a winning record for the first time since the third game of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Golden Knights (1-2-0), playing the second of a fivegame road trip. Marc-Andre Fleury made 13 saves.
Buffalo had only five shots on goal in the second period, but scored three times in about five minutes.
Eichel tucked a backhand around Fleury’s poke check for his third of the season to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead five minutes into the period. Sam Reinhart slipped a pass between the skates of Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland to set up Eichel in front of the net.
The Golden Knights got on the board less than three minutes later when Haula sent a wrist shot from outside the right circle past Hutton.
The Sabres responded with two goals in a 1:28 span. Scandella floated a long shot from the blue line over Fleury’s glove just 27 seconds after Vegas scored. Evan Rodrigues fed Pominville for a one-timer to make it 4-1 midway through the second.
Buffalo never relinquished the lead after Rasmus Ristolainen slid the puck to Eichel for a one-timer from the left circle on a power play with 5:29 left in the first period.
Marchessault scored his second of the season for Vegas on an unassisted wrist shot from the high slot with 9:13 left in the third period.
Islanders 4, Sharks 0 — Robin Lehner stopped 35 shots for his ninth career shutout in his New York debut, leading the victory over visiting San Jose.
Anders Lee, Scott Mayfield, Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas scored and Lehner, who signed with the Islanders in July, played for the first time since last March 29 for Buffalo. He left that game because of a panic attack and was subsequently treated for alcohol and drug addiction and also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD and PTSD.
Martin Jones finished with 26 saves for San Jose, which has lost two of its first three games.
Elsewhere in the NHL — Philadelphia Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk is out 5-to-6 weeks with a lowerbody injury. Van Riemsdyk was hit with by shot during Saturday night’s game at Colorado. He was playing just his second game back with the Flyers after signing a $35 million, five-year contract July 1 . ...
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a strained oblique muscle suffered at practice on Sunday . . . .
Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo will miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The 39-year-old is signed through the 2021-22 season at a salary cap hit of $5.3 million. Florida recalled goalie Michael Hutchinson from AHL Springfield and will lean on James Reimer in Luongo’s absence.