New York Islanders center Kyle Palmieri (21) is stopped by Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Ukko-Pekko Luukkonen stopped 21 shots for his fifth shutout of the season, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the New York Islanders 4-0 on Thursday night to match a season-high with their third straight win.
Victor Olofsson, Dylan Cozens, and Zach Benson scored 5:13 apart during a second-period surge as Buffalo outshot the Islanders 29-11 through two periods and 37-21 overall. Benson added an empty-net goal with 4:54 remaining.
Buffalo improved to 8-3-1 in its past 12 and continued inching back into contention. The Sabres pulled three points behind the Islanders and Red Wings, who were tied for the second wild card.
“I think we have confidence. We know we can beat any team. And, we know that every game matters a lot right now,” Cozens said. “If we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna go down with a fight. We’re going to play like we honestly have nothing to lose.”
The Sabres took advantage of an Islanders team closing a four-game road trip, with the first three games played on the West Coast. The challenge for Buffalo now is opening a five-game road swing that begins at Detroit on Saturday.
“I don’t think we need to change much. It’s just trying to keep going what we’re doing right now,” said Luukkonen, who didn’t have an NHL shutout before this season, and now has four in his past 21 starts. “Once you kind of lose sight of the next game and start to think too far ahead, you really don’t do any favors for yourself.”
The Islanders, coming off a 3-0 loss at Los Angeles on Monday, were blanked for the sixth time this season, and haven’t scored in a span of 121:48, dating the final minutes of a 6-1 win at Anaheim on Sunday.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 33 shots in dropping to 8-3-2…
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