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UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- When the New York Islanders lead was cut in half in the opening minute of the third period, the sense of impending doom began wafting through Nassau Coliseum. After all, the Islanders had won just nine of 20 previous games in which they led after two periods. But Ryan Strome scored 39 seconds later to restore the two-goal lead, and New York cruised from there Saturday night to a 4-1 victory over the lowly Buffalo Sabres. On a recently completed road trip, the Islanders let two-goal leads get away in the third periods of losses to Edmonton and Calgary on consecutive nights. "When (Buffalo) got that power-play goal to start the third period, I know you guys were thinking, Here we go again," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We battled back and we were resilient. It was a good bench. Guys were positive." Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo staked the Islanders to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Strome then netted the big goal to push back the Sabres, and Cal Clutterbuck sealed the win with an empty-net goal one night after New York lost 4-3 at home to San Jose. The Islanders (26-34-9) earned their 10th home win (10-17-8), and did it in a rare matchup against an opponent they are ahead of in the standings. "Anybody can beat anybody in this league no matter where you are," Okposo said. "Thats been proven throughout this whole year. Theyve got some skill over there. "We stuck with our game plan and we outplayed them." Backup goalie Anders Nilsson (3-4-2) earned the win in his 15th NHL game. He lost his shutout bid 56 seconds into the third when Tyler Ennis scored. Nilsson made 33 saves while subbing for No. 1 netminder Evgeni Nabokov, who lost on Friday. "I had the post with me one time, and I think the whole team in front of me played an unbelievable game," said Nilsson, who will turn 24 next week. "They cleared the guys who were in front of me, so I got a clear view of every shot. That makes it a lot easier." Jhonas Enroth stopped 34 shots for Buffalo, which has the fewest points and goals in the NHL. "Scoring has been our problem all season. Tonight was no different," Enroth said. "The effort was there, but we struggle to finish." Earlier in this disappointing season, the Islanders and Sabres swapped star forwards Matt Moulson and Thomas Vanek, but both impending free agents have both been dealt elsewhere since. Fans periodically voiced loud chants of "Snow Must Go," directed toward Islanders general manager Garth Snow. Despite being outshot 14-10 and short-handed three times in the first period, the Islanders took a 2-0 lead. Nielsen put New York in front before the games first stoppage, and Okposo doubled the lead with a power-play goal. After holding his stick in the air waiting to fire, Nielsen unleashed a hard drive from the left circle that struck Enroths glove and found its way in at 3:31 for his 22nd goal. Okposo made it 2-0 with 2:36 left when he corralled a pass from Brock Nelson in the slot and whipped a shot past Enroth 1:11 into Henrik Tallinders holding penalty. It was Okposos team-leading 27th goal and 69th point. He also helped set up Nielsens goal, tying him with injured captain John Tavares with a club-best 42 assists. New York nearly had a third goal, but Enroth made a fine stop against Josh Bailey at the left post when he tried to follow up on Nelsons wraparound attempt. Buffalo mustered five shots during its three failed power plays in the first period. The only advantage the Sabres gave to the Islanders in the frame proved costly when Okposo scored on New Yorks only shot. The trend reversed in the second when New York had a 14-10 shots edge, but neither team scored. Nilssons first scare came when he stopped a shot by Matt DAgostini 2:13 into the second and then had to reach behind him after the puck slid through him and trickled toward the open net. "I thought I had it, but then I heard the fans chanting a little, so I figured it was probably laying behind me," Nilsson said. "Those things happen, but luckily it didnt end up in the net." The Sabres nearly got on the board in the final two seconds of the middle frame when Drew Stafford ripped a shot off a faceoff win in the Islanders end during a Buffalo power play, but Nilsson was there to block it. Ennis scored his 18th goal during that advantage. "You cant expect to win if you score only one goal," Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. "We had some good looks, but we couldnt finish." NOTES: Okposo is one goal shy of 100 in the NHL. ... The Sabres recalled D Rasmus Ristolainen from Rochester (AHL) due to the absence of D Tyler Myers (arm), who will also likely miss Sundays home game against Montreal. ... New York agreed to terms with 2012 draft pick D Adam Pelech on a three-year, entry-level contract. NHL Jerseys China . A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool. Fake NHL Jerseys . He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ .com) - Bradley Beal deposited a season-high 33 points and John Wall posted another double-double as the Washington Wizards went on the road and beat the Houston Rockets, 104-103. NHL Jerseys Sale . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win. Custom NHL Jerseys . He managed to save par, and went on to put together his best opening round of the year. Calcavecchia and Wes Short Jr.(SportsNetwork.com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Due to weather-related flight delays, the Raptors were forced to wait until Tuesday morning to leave Miami, making their matchup with the Eastern Conferences top team that much more formidable. Listen to all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 starting at 7pm et. The Raptors only two losses in their last nine came in San Antonio and in Miami, last seasons two combatants in the NBA Finals. Against the Heat on Sunday, Toronto fell 102-97. The Raps had a chance late, but didnt convert an easy layup, or a tough 3-pointer. Miami made its free throws and held for a home win. The loss snapped Torontos season-long five-game winning streak. DeMar DeRozan had 26 points and seven assists for the Raptors. Kyle Lowry went for 14 with nine helpers while Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson totaled 17 points apiece. Patrick Patterson notched 11 off the bench. They turned up the pressure. They made us put it on the floor. They put us on the free-throw line but we didnt convert. Weve got to make free throws against a team like this, said Raptors coach Dwane Casey The Raptors went 112-for-21 from the foul line and only scored 13 points in the fourth quarter.dddddddddddd If not for the Raptors, the Pacers would be knee-deep in an eight-game winning streak. Instead, that run stands at just two games as the Pacers fell to the Raptors in Toronto, 95-82, on New Years Day.Since, the Pacers bested the New Orleans Pelicans at home, then knocked off the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Sunday, 82-78.The Pacers, whove gone nine straight without giving up 100 points, were led by Paul George and his 16 points and six assists. Roy Hibbert scored 15 points with six rebounds, while David West added 11 points and seven boards in the win.Lance Stephenson and Danny Granger scored 10 points apiece for Indiana, which has won seven of its last eight.This is a good win for our guys, said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. Games like that are never as easy as they should be when you have a bunch of guys out or a bunch of key guys out. They are dangerous games. We didnt play a great game, but good enough to get a win.Kyrie Irving and Jarrett Jack were out for the Cavs.The Pacers travel to Atlanta on Wednesday, then play their next four at home.Indiana has won six of its last nine in this series and is 8-2 in its last 10 at home versus Toronto. ' ' '