It was not an easy night for Evgeni Nabokov, by any means.
The 36-year-old goaltender had to make some tough saves and didn't do himself any favors by giving the puck away to Nathan Gerbe in the second period, letting the Sabres tie the game at 2.
But ultimately, he kept himself and his team in it, and he fought off a bad call and a penalty shot by Thomas Vanek late in the game to preserve what would become his 300th career win.
He also had some help from his offense. The top line once again delivered a sparkling performance. Matt Moulson tallied the first Isles goal and an assist, Kyle Okposo scored the second goal, and John Tavares had two assists. Michael Grabner also had an offensive breakout, with five shots and two goals (including the game-winner, as well as the empty-netter for insurance). The Isles once again led their opponents in shots overall, 40-25.
As for the Sabres, they got their chances and were as resilient as a team playing back-to-back games can be. Patrick Kaleta and Derek Roy were the goal scorers, as top scorers Jason Pominville (no shots, -2, left at one point in the game due to discomfort after a play) and Thomas Vanek (2 shots, -1, also left after getting a puck to the face) were relatively quiet. Vanek played the remainder of his game with a facial shield after leaving in the second period. Jhonas Enroth, meanwhile, made 36 saves and did his best to keep the Sabres in the game; ultimately, his efforts proved to fall short.
It was also a big night for a former Islander. Patrick Flatley was inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight. The Montreal, QC winger played for the Rangers as well, but was drafted and played the bulk of his career with the Isles- and in his rookie year, he helped lead his team to its fifth straight Stanley Cup Final in 1984 on an impressive playoff campaign. He also became a captain, and though not a flashy scorer, he led the team well and made his presence known. Congrats to Flats, and I certainly hope (and think) he enjoyed the current Isles team's performance tonight.
Until next time.
Some notes: JT has extended his points streak to 8 games and led the Isles forwards in TOI with 20:40... Travis Hamonic had 4 hits and 23:10 TOI to lead the entire team... Matt Martin and Joe Finley dropped the gloves in the second period, with Finley getting the edge on Martin mainly due to his height (6'8 compared to Martin's 6'3). Credit to Matty Marts for sticking with him in the fight.
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