It was a historic night for the New York Islanders (16-20-6) as they not only inducted Patrick Flatley into the Hall of Fame, but keeper Evgeni Nabokov recorded career win #300 with a 4-2 decision over the Buffalo Sabres (19-20-5) on Saturday night.
Evgeni Nabokov. Photo by: Stacy Podelski
Flatley was honored prior to the game, played in 780 career NHL games, recording 170 goals and 340 assist for 510 points, and was a key contributor to the Isles drive for a fifth Stanley Cup. Sadly that was the year the franchise ran into Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers.
Starting the night offensively for the Isles, was Matt Moulson (21), who netted the first goal of the game at the 13:10 mark of the first period of play. The Sabres responded in the second when Patrick Kaleta (3) recorded a snap shot at 14:48.
Kyle Okposo (11) gave the Isles a 2-1 lead at the 16:16 mark of the frame, before Derek Roy (9) responded with a game-tying wrister at 16:58. Michael Grabner (13) scored twice in the third period, to help the Isles earn two points.
Keeper Evgeni Nabokov earned his 300th career victory by turning away 23 pucks in the game. With the announcement that Rick DiPietro will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia, it will be up to ‘Nabby,’ Montoya and Poulin to hold down the Islanders in the cage for the rest of the season.
The Islanders will have one day off before taking on the Nashville Predators on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday. The Isles/Preds game is scheduled to air on the MSG network, with face-off slated for 1:00 p.m.
Written on January 15, 2012