BUFFALO, N.Y. -- 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.