BUFFALO, N.Y. - Anders Lee scored third-period goals a little more than five minutes apart, and the New York Islanders overcame the absence of captain John Tavares to stay in the playoff hunt with a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Cal Clutterbuck and Joshua Ho-Sang also scored and Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots to improve to 3-1 since being recalled from the minors.
With four games left, New York earned its 86th point to inch within five of Ottawa and Toronto, and remain six behind Boston in the race for the Eastern Conference's final three playoff berths.
It was the Islanders' first game since Tavares was sidelined by a left hamstring injury in a 2-1 win over New Jersey on Friday.
He's listed week to week and, before the game, coach Doug Weight said there is no chance Tavares will play before New York closes the season against Ottawa on April 9.
Evander Kane, with his team-leading 27th goal, and Zemgus Girgensons scored for Buffalo in a game the Sabres never led. Robin Lehner stopped 22 shots.
Both of Lee's goals were unassisted, and came off Sabres turnovers.
With the score tied at 2, Lee put the Islanders ahead for good with 10:41 remaining.
Lehner inadvertently began the play by casually swatting a shot directed at the Buffalo goal. The puck bounced into the high slot, where Lee snapped a shot, beating Lehner under the left arm.
Lee scored again with 5:27 left after Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe misplayed a puck to the left of his own net. The puck squirted into the lower left circle, from where Lee backhanded a shot in for his team-leading 31st goal.
The Islanders continued their dominance over Buffalo by improving to 8-1-5 in their past 14 against the Sabres.
The Sabres tied the game at 2 on Girgenson's goal 5:17 into the third period. By gaining the Islanders blue line, Girgensons dished off to Matt Moulson and then broke to the net where he deflected in Moulson's return pass.
The Sabres came out flat, resembling a team coming off a four-day break. Buffalo managed just three shots first 17 minutes and six overall through the opening period and gave up the opening goal to Clutterbuck 9:31 into the game.
The Sabres found their legs in the second period, during which they outshot the Islanders 9-0 at one point when Kane tied to convert a two-on-one break midway through the second period.
Kane was set up by C.J. Smith, who was making his NHL debut three days after forgoing his senior season at UMass-Lowell by signing a two-year contract with Buffalo.
It took 56 seconds after Buffalo tied the score on Kane's goal 10:08 into the second period for the Islanders to regain the lead.
New York defensive Dennis Seidenberg forced Jack Eichel to commit a turnover along the left boards of the Islanders zone, and sprung Ho-Sang on a breakaway.
Driving directly at the net, Ho-Sang faked left and then put on the breaks before slipping a shot inside the right post.
NOTES: Sabres D Rasmus Ristolainen returned after serving a three-game suspension for a blindside hit that led to Pittsburgh forward Jake Guentzel sustaining a concussion. ... Islanders C Connor Jones made his NHL debut a day after being called up from AHL Bridgeport. ... Sabres RW Kyle Okposo missed his second game due to illness and has already been ruled out from playing against Toronto on Monday.
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