BUFFALO, N.Y. — Michael Houser stopped 34 shots in his NHL debut, Sam Reinhart scored twice in Buffalo’s three-goal third period and the Sabres beat the playoff-bound New York Islanders 4-2.
Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund also scored for Buffalo, which trailed 2-0 early in the second period.
Houser spent the past 8 1/2 seasons in the minor leagues. It was his first game since March 7, 2020, with Cincinnati of the ECHL.
Adam Pelech and Oliver Wahlstrom scored for the Islanders. Semyon Varlamov, coming off three straight shutouts, finished with 36 saves.
The Islanders fell to fourth place in the Eastern Division -one point behind Boston, which beat New Jersey 3-0. The Bruins also have a game in-hand on the Islanders.
The teams finish their season series Tuesday night in Buffalo.
