Mar 31, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) celebrates his open net goal with defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) during the third period against the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
While the Islanders’ defense held together significantly better than the 8-3 debacle just one night earlier, it let them down at the death on Tuesday night in Buffalo against the Sabres.
Amidst a jam-packed race in the Metropolitan Division where every point counts, they were 3:01 from securing a vital road point against the Atlantic Division leaders with the game knotted up at two apiece. But Sabres star Tage Thompson flipped a puck from his own blue line in toward the Islanders’ zone, where defenseman Carson Soucy whiffed on the bouncing puck. Alex Tuch got on the end of it, circled the net, and fed Peyton Krebs, whom the Soucy and Matthew Schaefer lost in front of goalie Ilya Sorokin.
A quick flick of the wrist on the one-timer, and all was lost in an eventual 4-3 defeat.
“This one stings,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “It was tough the last two nights to come out with nothing… It’s too bad that we let it slip.”
With it, the thin ice that is their playoff hopes continues to crack.
After getting ransacked by the Penguins on Monday night, New York’s division rival beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 on Tuesday night to move three points clear for second place in the Metropolitan Division. It did receive a reprieve, of sorts, with the Columbus Blue Jackets cooling down in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but they are still just one point behind in the second and final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot with a game in hand.
The Ottawa Senators, Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers are three points back of the Islanders and the first teams outside the playoff picture looking in. All of those teams have played two fewer games.
Just six games remain in the Islanders’ regular season, and they have two days off before hosting one of those pursuing teams, the Flyers, on Friday night at UBS Arena.
“We have to find ways to hold onto games and not give up late goals,” forward Brayden Schenn said. “It’s a game of inches and a game of mistakes. Right now, we’re on the other side of it.”
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