New York Islanders get second straight win over Buffalo Sabres 2-1 -NHL Update
New York still stands last in the Eastern Conference with 18 points, but it looks like they have finally found some momentum to start winning games as the Islanders edged the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, for their second straight victory, on Tuesday night, November
29, 2011, at the sold out First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York, United States.
Matt Moulson made the first goal of the night and his eighth of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season during their first power play opportunity to put the visitors ahead by one.
Zack Kassian and New York’s, Matt Martin, were booked with a five minute major penalty a little over midway through the first period after fighting each other.
New York’s goalie, Al Montoya, remained steadfast in his net and came up strong for the Islanders all three periods long by blocking 30 of 31 shots on his net, while his counterpart in the Buffalo net who is the backup for an injured Ryan Miller, Jhonas
Enroth, faced 30 shots but fell short on two.
"We showed some desperation and then Al was there when we needed him to be," New York Islanders head coach, Jack Capuano, said. "We kept coming. We have to play with an attitude that maybe we didn't play with the first couple of weeks."
After a scoreless second period, Jochen Hecht, made the equalising shot for the Buffalo Sabres in the opening two minutes of the third and final period of regulation which brought them back in the game, but as the halfway point closed in, Brian Rolston potted
the game-winner and took the match for New York.
Buffalo missed a huge 5-on-3 man advantage opportunity after Rolston’s game winning shot, as New York lost Mark Streit and Josh Bailey were penalised less than a minute apart with a minor penalty.
"We missed a couple of beauties," Sabres coach, Lindy Ruff, said. "Even on the 5-on-3 we missed a couple. Then right afterwards, the Leino opportunity. When you miss those, they'll come back to bite you."
New York has two more on the road before returning home, the next being against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday while Buffalo will host the Detroit Red Wings on the same day.
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