Rangers 2, Sabres 0
Mackenzie Skapski made 20 saves to record his first career shutout and defenseman Keith Yandle scored in the third period as visiting New York skated to its fourth straight victory.
Martin St. Louis sealed the win with an empty-net goal and also joined Chris Kreider with an assist for the Rangers, who improved to 13-1-2 in their last 16 contests and moved three points ahead of the second-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. Playing in just his second NHL game, Skapski was making his first start since turning aside 24 shots in a 3-1 triumph over Buffalo on Feb. 20.
Making his 100th career appearance, Anders Lindback finished with 31 saves to fall to 0-3-1 since being acquired from Dallas. Defenseman Mike Weber had a team-high three shots for the Sabres, who have dropped six in a row overall (0-5-1) and seven straight versus New York.
Skapski denied Tyler Ennis on a partial breakaway in the first period and thwarted captain Brian Gionta's bid on a 2-on-1 rush in the second. The 20-year-old Skapski wasn't tested much in the third, as New York enjoyed a 15-6 edge in shots.
Playing in his sixth game since being acquired from Arizona prior to the trade deadline, Yandle wired a shot from the point that sailed through traffic to open the scoring 7:31 into the third period. The defenseman pumped his fist in celebration of recording his first point with his new team.
GAME NOTEBOOK: New York RW Mats Zuccarello saw his six-game point streak in the series come to a halt. The Norwegian has collected two goals and five assists in that span. ... The Sabres failed on all three power-play opportunities, dropping to 0-for-14 in the last seven games and 1-for-29 in the last 12. ... Buffalo's Rasmus Ristolainen (28:36) and Weber (24:53) logged considerable ice time with fellow D Zach Bogosian scratched after tweaking something in his lower body, according to coach Ted Nolan.