Thompson scores 37th in Sabres’ 5-3 win over Islanders

By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored his team-leading 37th goal during a three-goal, second-period surge, and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the New York Islanders 5-3 in a game between two non-playoff teams. Jeff Skinner, with his 33rd of the season, stuffed in Thompson’s rebound with 7:20 left to secure the win after Buffalo nearly squandered a 4-1 third-period lead. The Sabres hung on for their fourth straight victory, the team’s longest since a 10-game run in November 2018. Mathew Barzal snapped a 10-game goal drought, and Noah Dobson and Kieffer Bellows also scored for New York, which dropped to 0-3-1 in its past four.