They were playing for a second consecutive night after a gritty and emotional win in Ottawa 24 hours earlier. But that was no excuse for the Islanders to squander a two-goal lead or to settle for a 4-3 shootout loss on home ice Saturday against Buffalo.

"We talked after the second period about how good playoff teams find a way to win these games, when they're not at their best," defenseman Andrew MacDonald told Newsday. "We were kind of hanging on there for the second half of the game.

"At this stage of the game, you have to win these ones to have a shot in the long run."

The Isles weren't particularly sharp early on, but they led 3-1 after one period after capitalizing on a couple of turnovers in the Buffalo zone.

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Martin St. Louis scored three times in his 900th NHL game, Steven Stamkos added his league-leading 34th goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-3 on Saturday night.

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No. 1 Star: James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs Two straight starts and two straight shutouts for the 23-year old Reimer. After blanking the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, Reimer followed that up with a 49-save performance during a 5-0 win … Continue reading ?

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Ryan Miller needed some heroics from his teammates — and some of his own — to become the Buffalo Sabres' all-time wins leader.

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Ryan Miller needed some heroics from his teammates -- and some of his own -- to become the Buffalo Sabres' all-time wins leader. Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville scored shootout goals, and Buffalo rallied from an early 3-1 deficit to beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night. The win gave Miller 235 career victories, breaking a tie with six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek for the...

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The only consolation for the Ottawa Senators - and it's small consolation, indeed - is that the Toronto Maple Leafs can't catch them in the standings when they meet Saturday at Scotiabank Place.

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Check out the very different reactions of the guy in the Canada jersey and the lady beside him. No. 1 Star: Derek Brassard, Columbus Blue Jackets The Blue Jackets accomplished a rare feat on Friday, at least for them. For … Continue reading ?

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Mark Eaton's latest goal was as important to the New York Islanders as it was rare for him to score. Eaton scored 2:35 into overtime in his 600th NHL game to give the Islanders a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. The 34-year-old defenseman took a pass from Milan Jurcina and put the puck into an open right side for his 24th NHL goal -- his first since Nov.

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OTTAWA - Even returning to Ottawa couldn't snap the Senators out of their funk.

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Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished. … Continue reading ?

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