Islanders skate past Sabres
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Matt Martin scored twice and the New York Islanders beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night in the opener of a three-game series.
Noah Dobson, Anthony Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle also scored for New York, and rookie Ilya Sorokin stopped 16 shots. The Islanders improved to 5-0-1 in their last six overall and 8-0-2 at the Nassau Coliseum to remain the only team without a regulation loss at home.
Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen scored for Buffalo, which has lost five straight (0-5-1). The Sabres are 2-8-1 since taking a twoweek break for a COVID outbreak.
Jonas Johansson, making his second start of the season with starter Linus Ullmark injured, finished with a career-high 40 saves.
The teams continue the series with afternoon games at the Coliseum on Saturday and Sunday.
Sorokin, coming off 20save
shutouts in his previous two games, had six saves in the first period, four in the second and six in the third to improve to 3-2-1.
With Buffalo trailing 3-1, Jeff Skinner hit a goal post from the left circle in the opening minute of the third.
Eberle then put the Islanders ahead 4-1 as he scored on a rebound of a shot by Anders Lee at 3:14, beating Johansson on the glove side.
Ristolainen pulled the
Sabres back within two at 7:23. With the Sabres on a 4-on-3 advantage, Ristolainen jammed in the rebound of a shot by Jack Eichel for his third.
Martin got his second of the night and fourth of the season when he converted the rebound of his own shot from the right doorstep with 5:32 left. It was Martin’s third career two-goal game, and first since March 25, 2014, at Carolina.
RANGERS 6, DEVILS 1
NEWARK, N.J. — Red hot Chris Kreider recorded his second hat trick in five games and the Rangers beat the slumping New Jersey Devils in a game marred by a late injury to New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Kreider, who scored three in a loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 24, has nine goals in his last six games, and 13 overall. He completed his natural hat trick 23 seconds into the final period after scoring twice in the second. His fourth career hat trick came on five shots.