Islanders 3, Sabres 0
Kyle Okposo scored a power-play goal and Jaroslav Halak registered his sixth shutout of the campaign as host New York moved closer to a postseason berth in the penultimate regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum.
Brock Nelson and Nikolay Kulemin added third-period tallies for the Islanders, who moved one point ahead of Washington for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Halak made 21 saves en route to his 36th career blanking as New York won for just the third time in 11 contests (3-6-2) but failed to clinch a playoff spot due to Ottawa's victory over the Capitals.
Andrey Makarov turned aside 33 shots in his NHL debut for the Sabres, who were shut out for the 13th time this campaign. Buffalo went 0-for-4 with the man advantage as it finished 1-2-0 in the three-game season series.
The Islanders took advantage of their first power-play opportunity to get on the board. With Matt Ellis off for hooking, Okposo unleashed a shot from the top of the slot that hit a defender's leg and bounced past a screened Makarov 6:37 into the contest for his 17th goal.
Buffalo failed to cash in on two man advantages in the second period, including a four-minute chance late in the session, and New York doubled its lead 9 1/2 minutes into the third. A pass attempt by Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian deep in his own zone hit a stick lying on the ice, allowing Nelson to pounce on the loose puck and fire it past Makarov, and Kulemin made it 3-0 by tipping blue-liner Travis Hamonic's shot with 6:47 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Nelson reached the 20-goal mark after scoring 14 in 72 games as a rookie last season. ... Halak moved within one shutout of the single-season franchise record set in 1975-76 by Glenn "Chico" Resch. ... Islanders C Ryan Strome failed to land on the scoresheet, ending his four-game point streak.