NHL

New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres

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Josh Norris gets deciding goal in shootout as Sabres beat Islanders 3-2 for 5th straight win

Josh Norris wins it in shootout for Sabres

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.

Up next Islanders: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Sabres: At New Jersey on Sunday night.

Regular Season Series

BUF leads series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 1:47 Rasmus Dahlin Goal (4) Backhand, assists: Alex Lyon (1)
Goal 2nd Period 8:55 Tage Thompson Goal (18) Backhand, assists: Josh Doan (14), Peyton Krebs (10)
Goal 2nd Period 19:37 Mathew Barzal Goal (10) Snap Shot, assists: Anders Lee (14), Simon Holmstrom (8)
Goal 3rd Period 19:31 Emil Heineman Goal (12) Wrist Shot, assists: Mathew Barzal (19), Matthew Schaefer (15)
Goal 5 0:00 Mathew Barzal Goal Backhand
Goal 5 0:00 Jack Quinn Goal Wrist Shot
Goal 5 0:00 Josh Norris Goal Wrist Shot

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/nyi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNYI https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF
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 Buffalo Sabres Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Tyson Kozak, C Out Dec 23
Conor Timmins, D Injured Reserve Dec 20
Colten Ellis, G Injured Reserve Dec 17
Jason Zucker, LW Injured Reserve Dec 17
New York Islanders New York Islanders Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Bo Horvat, C Out Dec 22
Ilya Sorokin, G Out Dec 22
Kyle Palmieri, C Injured Reserve Nov 30

Game Information

KeyBank Center

Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 22 11 47 3
Philadelphia 19 10 45 7
NY Islanders 20 13 44 4
Washington 19 13 43 5
NY Rangers 19 16 42 4
New Jersey 20 16 41 1
Pittsburgh 15 12 39 9
Columbus 15 15 36 6

2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Detroit 22 13 47 3
Montreal 20 12 45 5
Tampa Bay 20 13 43 3
Florida 20 14 42 2
Ottawa 18 13 41 5
Boston 20 17 41 1
Buffalo 18 14 40 4
Toronto 16 15 37 5
Full Standings