Islanders' hopes are fading fast with loss to Sabres

BUFFALO — Kyle Palmieri could feel good about his game with his first multi-goal effort as an Islander after a stint as a healthy scratch. But that was the team’s only solace in another loss in a sinking season that likely is too late to salvage.

"That’s great and all," Palmieri said after increasing his season’s goal total from one to three as he snapped a 16-game goal drought. "But, at the end of the day, my job is to help this team win. We didn’t bring our best effort tonight and we knew how big of a game it was for us. Every game is huge for us moving forward to try and climb back in this playoff race."

The Sabres, who had beaten the Islanders just twice in the teams’ last 12 contests, took three one-goal leads and finally won, 6-3, on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center. They added two empty-netters after Victor Olofsson’s winner at 17:05 of the third period, abetted by the Islanders’ over-pursuit on defense.

It dropped the Islanders (17-20-6) to 18 points out of a playoff spot as they lost the last three games of this four-game road trip.

"These are games that we have to have," said captain Anders Lee, who tied the game at 2 at 7:11 of the second period, knocking in the rebound of defenseman Zdeno Chara’s blast. "There are moments that we have to start being successful in and that’s how we’re going to be able to dig out of this. If this keeps happening, we’re going to going to be looking at the wrong side.

"We’ve got a lot to work on. It starts with ourselves and playing for the guy next to you and building off of individually and as a team playing the right way."

But the trade deadline is March 21 and, with eight scouts in attendance, the Islanders may need to change their priorities.

"It’s been concerning for a while," coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought our effort was pretty decent. We were a little flat for a little bit in the second but we got it going. But was it our best game? We lost so it can’t be."

Ilya Sorokin stopped 35 shots for the Islanders, who now have the same 40 points as the Sabres (16-24-8).

Trotz re-inserted Palmieri after the Smithtown product was a healthy scratch the past two games and also missed the trip-opening 6-3 win in Vancouver as his wife gave birth to their first child.

Palmieri’s second goal, a sharp-angle shot from the right that he banked off goalie Dustin Tokarski (30 saves), tied it at 3 at 9:56 of the third period. Palmieri had tied the game at 1 at 12:06 of the first period, getting to the crease to deposit Anthony Beauvillier’s feed from the left. That also ended Palmieri’s 15-game point drought.

Palmieri agreed to a four-year, $20 million extension after being acquired from the Devils at last season’s trade deadline.

"I just talked to him, ‘Let’s forget about the first half of the season, let’s focus on the last half of this regular season and see if we can get a little more traction,’" Trotz said. "He signed up with us after being a free agent. He wants to prove that he’s worthy of that."

Alex Tuch’s power-play goal with 0.6 seconds left in the second period on a deflection of Peyton Krebs’ shot gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead.

The Sabres had taken a 2-1 lead on Tage Thompson’s shorthanded goal at 1:36 of the second period.

Ex-Islander Kyle Okposo opened the scoring 73 before Palmieri’s first goal.

ers have allowed the first goal.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.