Overview
- Buffalo beat the Islanders 4-3 at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, hitting 100 points for the first time since 2009-10 and taking sole possession of the Atlantic Division lead.
- Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, Peyton Krebs and Bowen Byram scored for the Sabres, with Byram’s empty-netter standing as the winner after a last-second New York goal.
- Short-term lineup news has Noah Ostlund still out with an upper-body injury, while Conor Timmins returned and Zach Metsa was reassigned.
- The team’s magic number—the mix of points Buffalo gains and points rivals drop—was seven entering Tuesday, and the path now includes a one-win clinch opportunity in Ottawa on Thursday.
- This surge follows an 11-14-4 start and a December GM change, after which Buffalo went 35-7-4 to reach 46-21-8 and climb into the Eastern Conference’s top tier.