Matt Moulson still close with former Islanders teammates

Matt Moulson still is part of the Islanders family, in a way. He and his wife, Alicia, are godparents to Kyle Okposo's daughter, Elliana; Kyle and Danielle Okposo are godparents to Moulson's youngest, George.

So the Moulsons and Okposos spent Christmas together up here, helped by the schedule that had the Islanders facing the Sabres Saturday night.

And Moulson, the hard-working popular Islander who worked his way up from forgotten prospect to three-time 30-goal scorer with the Isles, got to see his old team up close.

"You always want your friends, the people you consider family, to do well," Moulson said. "We're obviously in touch a lot still. You want them to do well and that's definitely what's happening over there."

It was just 14 months ago that Moulson's Islanders tenure came to a sudden end, with him being part of the trade with Buffalo for Thomas Vanek. Moulson spent almost the same amount of time with the Sabres as Vanek did with the Islanders before being moved to the Wild as a late-season rental.

Moulson got to free agency in July and took the best offer sent his way: a five-year, $25-million deal to come back to Buffalo with a team that seemed to be preparing for the June draft rather than the 2014-15 season.

Both Moulson and the Sabres played the first six weeks of the season poorly, perhaps reinforcing the idea that the 31-year-old Moulson was more a product of playing with John Tavares than of his own hard work.

He has dispelled that with six goals and four assists during a 10-3-0 Sabres stretch to bring the team back to some measure of respectability.

"You're playing with Johnny, Kyle, PA [Parenteau], whoever it was, and you find yourself starting to rely on them a little. They're so good and so talented, you maybe don't do the things that you did once," Moulson said. "I think you start to find yourself a bit more, find your game, do the things I used to do that I didn't have to do playing with certain guys. And you find yourself starting to be better, to gain confidence by doing those things again, the little things."

Johnson hoping for tunraround

Chad Johnson has been in this unenviable position before, a backup goaltender passed over for a start by a call-up. The Bruins called up Niklas Svedberg to start Jan. 2 last season, with Johnson sitting in street clothes for a night as Svedberg picked up a 3-2 overtime win and went right back to the AHL.

Now the Isles' backup, Johnson was on the bench Saturday night, watching Kevin Poulin get the start with Jaro Halak on injured reserve. Johnson played decently in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Canadiens, but he hasn't won in his last four starts, dating to Nov. 21 in Pittsburgh.

"I'm just worrying about what I can control," Johnson said. "Right now, that's hoping for better results than what I've had when I get a chance to play."

Johnson has allowed fewer than three goals in just two of his 10 starts this season. With Halak playing well, Johnson's opportunities have been diminishing.

"It's about accountability, whether you're a forward, a defenseman or a goalie," Jack Capuano said.