Victor Olofsson's first goal in three-and-a-half months on Tuesday was the difference in the Buffalo Sabres' 6-3 win over the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center. Up until Tuesday, the forward had not scored since Oct. 31.
The Sabres used efficient passing in the offensive zone to help create the game's first goal, giving the team a 1-0 lead. Kyle Okposo finished off the play as he re-directed a Casey Fitzgerald pass from just inside the blue line. The goal gave Okposo his 10th tally of the season, with Fitzgerald and Cody Eakin assisting.
Less than two minutes later, the Islanders capitalized on an odd-man rush created by Kyle Palmieri getting past a Buffalo defender. The forward scored his second goal of the season thanks to a pass by Anthony Beauvillier. The even strength goal tied the score 1-1 with just under eight minutes remaining in the first frame.
Buffalo outshot the Islanders, 12-10, after the opening 20 minutes. Neither team had a power play opportunity in the first period.
Mark Jankowski was called for the first minor of the game when he interfered with Casey Cizikas. However, Buffalo was able to score shorthanded for a 2-1 lead less than two minutes into the middle period. Tage Thompson slammed in a Dylan Cozens rebound attempt after both players worked to keep the puck in the offensive zone while killing off the penalty.
A fortuitous bounce for the Islanders helped the visitors tie the game once again at 2-2. Zdeno Chara took a shot from the point that hit the goal post, but Anders Lee was able to get a piece of the rebound and score his 13th goal of the year.
The Sabres used their second power play of the period to take a third lead in the game, 3-2. Alex Tuch was able tip a shot into the net with just 0.6 seconds remaining in the frame for his seventh goal of the season. Zdeno Chara was in the penalty box at the time serving a tripping penalty.
Palmieri's second goal of the night came almost exactly halfway through the third period and tied the game at 3-3. It came after the Islanders used sustained pressure to help draw even for a third time in the game. Lee and Noah Dobson assisted on the goal.
However, Olofsson scored his first goal in 31 games to give Buffalo the lead again, and it came with just under three minutes remaining in regulation. Peyton Krebs made the pass that helped set up the go-ahead goal for his second point of the night.
Henri Jokiharju and Olofsson added empty net goals in the final minutes to cap the Sabres' 6-3 victory.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 10:53 - Kyle Okposo (10) (Casey Fitzgerald, Cody Eakin)
NYI: 12:06 - Kyle Palmieri (2) (Anthony Beauvillier, Sebastian Aho)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:36 - Tage Thompson (16) SHG (Dylan Cozens); 19:59 - Alex Tuch (7) PPG (Peyton Krebs, Rasmus Dahlin)
NYI: 7:11 - Anders Lee (13) (Zdeno Chara, Mat Barzal)
Third Period:
BUF: 17:05 - Victor Olofsson (6) (Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens); 18:55 - Henri Jokiharju (3) ENG (Alex Tuch); 19:34 - Victor Olofsson (7) ENG (Dylan Cozens)
NYI: 9:56 - Kyle Palmieri (3) (Anders Lee, Noah Dobson)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
NYI: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 0:27 - Mark Jankowski (Interference - 2 min.); 9:03 - Dylan Cozens (Cross-checking - 2 min.)
NYI: 16:01 - Zach Parise (Hooking - 2 min.); 19:00 - Zdeno Chara (Tripping - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
NYI: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Victor Olofsson - BUF
2.) Alex Tuch - BUF
3.) Tage Thompson - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres continue with their three-game homestand on Thursday night when they welcome the Ottawa Senators to KeyBank Center for a 7 p.m. EST faceoff. Pregame coverage on WGR starts at 6 p.m. EST with Schopp and the Bulldog.
