A rebuke by their own general manager had little effect on the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday. In Uniondale, the New York Islanders handed the Sabres their sixth straight loss, 5-2.
Mathew Barzal had a goal and assist for the New York Islanders
Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves in the win.
Jacob Bryson opened the scoring game to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead.
“It’s just mental toughness at the moment,” Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger said. “I mean, the National Hockey League this year is not a league of people running each other over and without the fans in the building, the physicality is definitely in a different place than it would usually be. We’re losing battles in 1-on-1 situations that are hockey situations.
“It’s not the toughness of old, it’s the toughness of new, which is you’ve got to be inside, you’ve got to grind it out, you’ve got to be persistent and you’ve got to win your individual battles.”
Sam Reinhart also scored for the Sabres.
“It was a great feeling, especially 30 seconds into the game,” Bryson said. “That’s how you want to start games. It’s just a good feeling to have that monkey off your back going into a full 60 minutes.”
Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield had a goal and two points apiece for the Isles.
“It’s just nice being at home; I think any team can attest to that,” Barzal said. “You’re comfortable, you’ve got your own stall, your own locker, you’re at home eating well. I think we’ve been all right on the road as well, but just something about being at the Coliseum and just maybe probably having a little bit of extra juice. It’s a tough thing to explain, but it’s just really comfortable being at home.”
Brock Nelson and Cal Clutterbuck added markers for the Islanders.
“We knew they were going to come out with a little bit of jump, just after last game (also a 5-2 win Thursday),” Mayfield said. “I liked our response. We came out in the second and just did what we had to do.”
Anders Lee finished off the scoring with an early strike in the third period after Reinhart had closed the score to 4-2.
Carter Hutton made 24 saves in the loss.
“I think it’s just been a struggle for us,” the Sabres’ Brandon Montour said. “Obviously, everyone is frustrated right now with the way everything is going, but it’s a tough league. You have to bring it every night. If you don’t, the score shows up like that.”
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