Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres were able to use a strong second period to outwork the New York Islanders on their way to a 3-1 victory on Saturday night at KeyBank Center.
Neither side was able to take advantage of their power play opportunities in the first period. Both the Sabres and Islanders were called for two penalties, and each side successfully killed off the chances.
Buffalo doubled up the Islanders in shots on goal, as the Sabres were credited with 14 shots. Meanwhile, Sabres goalie Eric Comrie stopped all seven shots recorded by New York.
It took until nearly three minutes remaining in the second period for either side to score, but Buffalo was able to break through first.
Jeff Skinner scored his second goal in the last three games to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead, as Casey Mittlestadt made the pass that helped create the score. Mittelstadt received the lone assist on the game's opening goal.
The Sabres recorded 17 shots on goal in the middle period for an overall 31-15 advantage over New York through 40 minutes.
One of those 17 shots came with less than a minute remaining in the second period to double Buffalo's lead to 2-0. Mattias Samuelsson scored his first goal of the season, once again, set up by an aggressive play by Mittelstadt.
The Sabres had a carryover power play chance to start the third period, but did not score. However, just over a minute later Dylan Cozens was rewarded for a strong night with a loose puck at the side of the net. The young forward did not miss, and put Buffalo up 3-0 over the Islanders.
Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson was able to break up Comrie's shutout bid with his first goal of the season. The defenseman threw a shot towards the crease that deflected off of a pair of players on the way into the net, making the score 3-1 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
Comrie finished the night with 23 saves in his first appearance for the Sabres this season. Meanwhile, Tage Thompson led all players with 10 shots on goal in Buffalo's second win of the year.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
NYI: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 16:36 - Jeff Skinner (2) (Casey Mittelstadt); 19:23 - Mattias Samuelsson (1) (Casey Mittelstadt, Jeff Skinner)
NYI: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 2:40 - Dylan Cozens (2) (Rasmus Dahlin, Jordan Greenway)
NYI: 18:39 - Noah Dobson (1) (Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 6:43 - Henri Jokiharju (Holding - 2 min.); 11:16 - Mattias Samuelsson
(High-sticking - 2 min.)
NYI: 0:15 - Ryan Pulock (Tripping - 2 min.); 8:07 - Pierre Engvall (Roughing - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 10:16 - Alex Tuch (Roughing - 2 min.); 10:16 - Alex Tuch (Fighting - 5 min.)
NYI: 10:16 - Adam Pelech (Fighting - 5 min.); 19:56 - Casey Cizikas (Tripping - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
NYI: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Casey Mittelstadt - BUF
2.) Eric Comrie - BUF
3.) Mattias Samuelsson - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres will close out their four-game homestand on Monday by welcoming the Montreal Canadiens to KeyBank Center. The two teams drop the puck at 7 p.m. ET on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550. Pregame coverage on WGR starts at 6 p.m. ET with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.