Jack Quinn and Tage Thompson both scored a goal and had an assist for the Sabres, who have won two consecutive games following a three-game losing streak. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves in the game.
Buffalo is now back in first place in the Atlantic Division, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points. The Lightning lost 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens but have played one fewer game.
“I think overall tonight we were responding well,” Luukkonen commented. “It was a slower-paced game. We were creating opportunities, but they were trying to slow down our play. I feel like we stuck with it. Especially after that tying goal, we didn’t give them much and started to create more. Overall, I think we played really well today.”
Brayden Schenn scored a goal and had an assist, Bo Horvat contributed three assists, and Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves for the Islanders. The Islanders, coming off an 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, are still in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Last game we gave up eight goals, so, I mean, you want to make sure you play well defensively, and our tracking was outstanding,” said New York coach Patrick Roy. “… I thought we did a good job, and we played a tight playoff hockey game. It was a hard-fought game. I thought both teams had some good looks, and both teams played well defensively.”
Krebs scored to put Buffalo ahead 3-2 in the third period. Alex Tuch set up the goal with a backhand pass to Krebs, who one-timed it past Sorokin.
“You could tell from that shift that (Tuch) had his legs and he was feeling it,” Krebs remarked. “He had a lot of speed there doing his thing that he usually does, and I kind of had a feeling he was going to throw it in there, and I just had to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Bowen Byram scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-2 before Schenn scored for the Islanders with just two seconds remaining in the game, making the final score 4-3.
Quinn scored the first goal of the game for Buffalo with a power-play goal in the first period. He picked up the puck at the left point, skated to the circle, and scored with a wrist shot that beat Sorokin to the far side.
