Pre - Game
Islanders home opener at UBS Arena. There was a moment of silence before the anthem in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Israel.
1st Period
The Sabres kill off a Peyton Krebs penalty effectively, Islanders could not set up for long stretches in the Buffalo zone.
Connor Clifton loses battle along the wall with Pierre Engvall, puck goes to Brock Nelson, who snaps it past Devon Levi. 1-0
Nelson 1 (Engvall) 5:57
Buffalo led in shots on goal but did not have any good scoring chances until Tage Thompson's opportunity on Sorokin with just over six minutes left in the first.
Dahlin was robbed by Sorokin, on a set up in close by Cozens, Levi with a nice stop of his own, styming Bo Horvat, but moments later he kicks out a rebound on a point shot and Nelson banks it off teammate Palmieri in the net. 2-0
Palmieri 1 (Nelson - Pulock) 18:18
NYI 2, BUF 0 SOG - NYI 7, BUF 7
2nd Period
Zach Benson with his first NHL point, carries it over the Isles line, draws the defense to him, and dishes to Casey Mittelstadt, who feeds Jordan Greenway. 2-1 NYI
Greenway 1 (Mittelstadt - Benson) 4:15
Levi with a save on a close-in chance on Horvat, and moments later a short-side stop on Anders Lee.
Sorokin has been a difference maker, stopping Thompson with his glove, an Erik Johnson point shot, Peterka on a short side chance, and then Thompson again, who was showing signs of frustration on the Sabres bench.
NYI 2, BUF 1 SOG - NYI 16, BUF 21
3rd Period
Matt Martin loses a battle behind his own net with Benson, who deflects it with his skate out front to Mittelstadt, and he quickly fires it just inside the post past Sorokin. 2-2
Mittelstadt 1 (Benson - Dahlin) 2:34
Wild swings back and forth in the game, Barzal misses a point-blank chance on Levi, Sabres counterattack and Mittelstadt rings one off the post and seconds later Henri Jokiharju does the same.
The Islanders then go back the other way, and Pelech’s point shot is deflected in by Cizikas. Levi said the puck was deflected in with a high stick. Granato instead challenges for off-sides, but Noah Dobson was ruled to be on-side and the goal counts. 3-2 NYI
Cizikas 1 (Pelech – Clutterbuck) 13:40
The Sabres struggled to get the extra attacker on the ice late in regulation, as the Islanders kept the puck in the zone until there was 30 seconds left.
NYI 2, BUF 1 SOG - NYI 29, BUF 28
Postgame
The Sabres were energetic and much better than the frustrated group that lost to the Rangers on Thursday. Their effort would likely have been good enough to win on most nights, but they were thwarted time and time again by Sorokin.
“I give our guys a lot of credit for coming back from two, they battled hard. Lots of good things in that regard. We looked more like ourselves, Sabres head coach Don Granato said after the game. “We all have opinions on that final goal.”
The Sabres begin a four-game homestand on Tuesday against Tampa Bay.