Sabres 4, Islanders 3
NEW YORK -- The New Islanders know they will open the postseason next week in Pittsburgh or Florida.
They will have to wait 24 hours to find out their destination.
John Tavares assured the Islanders of at least a point by getting the tying goal with 6:26 left in the third period and the Islanders kept their chances of finishing third in the Metropolitan Division alive despite a 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Brian Gionta scored the game-winner with 2:14 remaining in overtime on a wrist shot from the low slot but the goal was of little consequence to the Islanders after Tavares scored.
The Islanders clinched their third postseason berth in four seasons with Tuesday's overtime win over Washington.
After the New York Rangers reached 101 points with a 3-2 win over Detroit on Saturday, the Islanders needed to get more than two points to finish third in the Metropolitan Division.
Finishing third would have created a matchup with the Penguins, who handed the Islanders a 5-0 loss in Brooklyn last week and New York kept that possibility alive by rallying from a pair of one-goal deficits.
Tavares sent the game into a 3-3 deadlock by winning an offensive zone faceoff and heading to the net.
Stationed at the right side of the crease, Tavares stripped Buffalo's Ryan O'Reilly during a scramble and tapped the puck into the vacated net.
Tavares' 33rd goal occurred after Gionta gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead with a slap shot from the right circle 5:57 into the third.
Before Tavares assured the Islanders of at least a point, Scott Mayfield and Alan Quine scored their first career goals early in the second and third period respectively.
Matt Moulson and Evan Rodrigues had second period goals for Buffalo.
NOTES: The Islanders scratched LW Matt Martin (upper body), RW Cal Clutterbuck (lower body), D Thomas Hickey (undisclosed), D Marek Zidlicky (rest) and LW Nikolay Kulemin (rest). ... New York recalled Cs Alan Quine and Bracken Kearns, who were two most productive players for Bridgeport of the AHL. ... New York D Adam Pelech made his first appearance since Jan. 14 after being out with a blood clot. ... Injured D Travis Harmonic, G Jaroslav Halak and G J.F. Berube participated in the morning skate. Harmonic skated in full gear. Halak has yet to face any shots during practice. ... Buffalo G Chad Johnson, D Zach Bogosian and LW Johan Larsson were out with minor injuries. Bogosian and Larsson were replaced by D Casey Nelson and RW Hudson Fasching. ... On Friday, several Islanders alumni concluded a two-day celebration of Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour's life. Arbour coached New York's four Stanley Cup championship teams and died Aug. 28.