ELMONT, NY -- After leaving a point on the table against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, the New York Islanders failed to get a point in a 2-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
With the Florida Panthers losing in regulation to the New York Rangers 4-3, the Islanders still hold a three-point lead in the wild-card race. The Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Washington Capitals at 8 PM ET.
The Islanders are now 37-28-9 on the season.
LINES
Anders Lee-Bo Horvat-Josh Bailey
Pierre Engvall-Brock Nelson-Kyle Palmieri
Zach-Parise-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech-Scott Mayfield
Alexander Romanov-Ryan Pulock
Samuel Bolduc-Noah Dobson
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
RAPID RECAP: The New York Islanders mimicked their first period from Friday night as netminder Semyon Varlamov stopped 13 to keep the game scoreless.
Defenseman Samuel Bolduc did not play the final 6:11 of the first after sloppy play and finished the night with 11:46 minutes played.
The Islanders woke up halfway through the second after a strong shift by the Pageau line. That momentum carried over for a few shifts, and the Islanders did earn two power-play chances.
However, their power play was out of sync, earning just three shots while allowing a shorthanded chance due to weak passing.
In the middle frame, Josh Bailey was demoted to the fourth line, with Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin getting some time alongside Horvat and Lee.
The Islanders allowed two Sabres to get behind them in the first three minutes of the third. Varlamov stoned Cozens on the breakaway chance while Mayfield cleared the puck out of the crease.
On the second chance, a Sabres forward whiffed, and Palmieri was able to backcheck and make a play.
The Sabres scored the game's first goal with 6:29 to play in regulation as, off a broken play, former Islander Kyle Okposo beat Varlamov short side on the ice.
Mayfield turned the puck over seconds earlier and failed to cover Okposo effectively enough.
With Varlamov on the bench, the Sabres got their insurance with 32 seconds to play in regulation as Jeff Skinner scored on the empty net for his 31st of the season as the Islanders fell 2-0.
The Islanders were outshot 35-27 and failed to execute throughout the night, earning just one point over their last two games against teams behind them in the standings.
Sabres netminder Eric Comrie became the first goaltender since NHL expansion to allow 10 goals in a start and follow that performance up with a shutout.
WHAT'S NEXT: The New York Islanders host the New Jersey Devils Monday night at 7:30 PM