Buffalo faces division rival New York (AP)
Game Preview: Islanders at Sabres (NewYorkIslanders.com)
Archives for February 16, 2021
Sabres observations: Mistakes on defense magnified in 3-1 loss to Islanders
‘”Obviously (McCabe and Ristolainen) eat a ton of minutes and (Brandon Montour) as well,” Sabres winger Kyle Okposo said. “When three of your top D men are out, that’s going to be tough for sure. But I thought our D played well. There’s guys that played bigger minutes. …”‘
Mike Harrington: No fresh start and more of the same for Sabres
‘They don’t score at 5-on-5, they constantly play from behind (giving up the first goal for the eighth time in 11 games), they get confused on defensive coverages too much and they just don’t get enough saves. It also sure seemed, after two weeks off, that they had nothing left in their tanks for the third period.’
Sabres’ Jake McCabe, Brandon Montour, Tobias Rieder return after bout with Covid-19
‘Rieder, McCabe and Montour each told the media following the morning skate Monday that they battled symptoms after testing positive for Covid-19. The trio rejoined the Sabres in KeyBank Center after clearing the league’s protocols, including a mandatory minimum 10-day isolation and negative test results.’
Sabres register zero shots in third period, fall to Islanders in return
‘The result, as expected, was a loss not nearly as the score might indicate. How bad was it? Winger Jeff Skinner recorded the Sabres’ 21st and final shot on Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov 16:54 into the second period. They did not register a shot on a goal in the entire third period.’
Sabres notes: Tobias Rieder returns to lineup, Buffalo adds new players
‘Rieder, 28, said he experienced “a rough couple days.” Even after he felt better, he was forced to sit idle. The NHL prohibits anyone on the COVID-19 protocol-related absences list from working out at home.’
Tuesday’s New York Coverage (Part I)
Islanders don’t allow a shot in third period, top Sabres (Newsday)
Islanders’ Bailey gets two assists — and some confidence — vs. Sabres (Newsday)
5 Takeaways: Islanders Smother Sabres in 3-1 Win (NewYorkIslanders.com)
Photo gallery (NHL.com)
Photo gallery (Buffalo News)
Islanders beat Sabres 3-1 in Buffalo’s 1st game in 2 weeks
‘“We weren’t good enough. That’s what it comes down to in this league, you’re either good enough or you’re not,” Eichel said. “Obviously, we hadn’t played in the last two weeks. But nobody wants to sit here and make excuses.”’
Sabres lose first of eight games against Islanders
‘The Sabres dictated much of the play in the first period, but found themselves trailing after 20-minutes. The blue and gold had a handful of nice chances on Semyon Varlamov, but it was the Islanders who boasted a 2-0 advantage.’
Opinion: The Sabres had no answers for the Islanders superior defense
‘The Islanders aren’t even close to the best team in the NHL, but they are the most disciplined. Head coach Barry Trotz has this team dotting every i and crossing every t when it comes to playing a sound system.’