New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres
· National Hockey LeagueJosh Norris gets deciding goal in shootout as Sabres beat Islanders 3-2 for 5th straight win
Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist, and Tage Thompson scored for the sixth consecutive game for the Sabres. Alex Lyon had 32 saves and got an assist on Dahlin's goal.
Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist, Emil Heineman also scored, and David Rittich made 30 saves for the Islanders, who lost for the third time in four games without leading scorer Bo Horvat.
After Norris scored on the Sabres' attempt in the fifth round of the shootout, Lyon turned aside a try by the Islanders' Calum Ritchie to preserve the win.
Barzal and Buffalo's Jack Quinn also scored in the tiebreaker.
Heineman scored the tying goal for the Islanders on the power play with 29 seconds left in regulation, and with Rittich on the bench for an extra skater.
Barzal got the Islanders on the scoreboard when he pounced on the rebound from his own shot with 23 seconds remaining in the second period.
Dahlin gave Buffalo the lead less than two minutes into the game with a notable individual effort on the power play. With Barzal in the penalty box, Dahlin got the puck from Lyon behind the Sabres' goal and skated the length of the ice, weaving past three Islanders to beat Rittich with a backhand.
Thompson made it 2-0 midway through the second period when he faked a shot from the left circle and swept the puck between Rittich’s leg pad and the right post to equal the career-best scoring streak he set last month. Thompson leads Buffalo with 18 goals — 12 in his last 18 games.
On their longest win streak of the season, the Sabres have now won consecutive home games after firing general manager Kevyn Adams and promoting Jarmo Kekalainen to the position.
Sabres: At New Jersey on Sunday night.
Regular Season SeriesBUF leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
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Goal | 1st Period 1:47 | Rasmus Dahlin Goal (4) Backhand, assists: Alex Lyon (1) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 8:55 | Tage Thompson Goal (18) Backhand, assists: Josh Doan (14), Peyton Krebs (10) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 19:37 | Mathew Barzal Goal (10) Snap Shot, assists: Anders Lee (14), Simon Holmstrom (8) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 19:31 | Emil Heineman Goal (12) Wrist Shot, assists: Mathew Barzal (19), Matthew Schaefer (15) |
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Goal | 5 0:00 | Mathew Barzal Goal Backhand |
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Goal | 5 0:00 | Jack Quinn Goal Wrist Shot |
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Goal | 5 0:00 | Josh Norris Goal Wrist Shot |
Statistics
NYI |
BUF |
|
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Blocked Shots | 11 |
| 25 | Hits | 18 |
| 4 | Takeaways | 5 |
| 34 | Shots | 32 |
| 1 | Power Play Goals | 1 |
| 3 | Power Play Opportunities | 4 |
| 33.3 | Power Play Percentage | 25.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 33 | Faceoffs Won | 27 |
| 55.0 | Faceoff Win Percent | 45.0 |
| 21 | Giveaways | 18 |
| 4 | Total Penalties | 3 |
| 8 | Penalty Minutes | 6 |
Buffalo Sabres Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Tyson Kozak, C | Out | Dec 20 |
| Conor Timmins, D | Injured Reserve | Dec 20 |
| Colten Ellis, G | Injured Reserve | Dec 17 |
| Jason Zucker, LW | Injured Reserve | Dec 17 |
New York Islanders Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Bo Horvat, C | Out | Dec 19 |
| Kyle Palmieri, C | Injured Reserve | Nov 30 |
Game Information
KeyBank Center
Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:
Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina |
22 | 10 | 47 | 3 |
Washington |
19 | 12 | 42 | 4 |
NY Islanders |
19 | 13 | 42 | 4 |
Philadelphia |
17 | 10 | 41 | 7 |
New Jersey |
20 | 14 | 41 | 1 |
NY Rangers |
18 | 15 | 40 | 4 |
Pittsburgh |
14 | 11 | 37 | 9 |
Columbus |
14 | 14 | 34 | 6 |
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit |
20 | 13 | 43 | 3 |
Montreal |
19 | 12 | 42 | 4 |
Tampa Bay |
19 | 13 | 41 | 3 |
Boston |
20 | 15 | 41 | 1 |
Florida |
19 | 14 | 40 | 2 |
Ottawa |
17 | 13 | 38 | 4 |
Buffalo |
16 | 14 | 36 | 4 |
Toronto |
15 | 14 | 35 | 5 |




NYI
BUF
Carolina
Washington
NY Islanders
Philadelphia
New Jersey
NY Rangers
Pittsburgh
Columbus
Detroit
Montreal
Tampa Bay
Boston
Florida
Ottawa
Buffalo
Toronto