Keeping it simple on the second night of a back-to-back was the objective.
And that’s exactly what the Islanders tried to do on Sunday night at Barclays Center — and did, for some time. That is until there were only six minutes left in the third period, and an ill-advised play from 38-year-old defenseman Marek Zidlicky led to their downfall.
With the game tied 1-1, Zidlicky pinched along the boards on the offensive blue line, and the puck slipped right by him, starting a 2-on-1 for the Sabres. It was finished with a pass from David Legwand to Sam Reinhart, who scored to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead that they would hang on to for the win.