Thomas Vanek scored twice as the Buffalo Sabres crushed the New York Islanders, 7-1, at Nassau Coliseum.

Jason Pominville and Ales Kotalik each had a goal and two assists while Maxim Afinogenov and Daniel Paille each finished with two helpers for the Sabres, who have won both of their games this season. Patrick Lalime finished the contest with 23 saves.

"I knew a few days ago that I was going to play today," said Lalime. "It was just nice to get in there early and play a game. What a game we played. The start of the second period we really turned it on and never looked back."

Trent Hunter scored the lone goal while Joey MacDonald was shelled for all seven goals on 35 shots for the Islanders, who have dropped two of their three games this season.

The Sabres scored four times in the second to take control of the game.

Just 2:21 in, Afinogenov flew into the New York zone and flicked a wrister on net that was stopped, but Adam Mair banged in the rebound for a 2-0 lead.

At the seven-minute mark while skating shorthanded, Paille's initial shot was saved, but he grabbed his own rebound and from the left side passed it across the net to Vanek, who slammed it home.

Just 1:39 later, Kotalik fired a wrist shot from that point that was deflected in front and Pominville eventually buried it for a 4-0 advantage.

On the ensuing faceoff, a fight broke out between the centers and Buffalo's Craig Rivet came in and dragged the Islander player to the ice. That developed into a full-scale scrum with the remaining skaters. Several other players got into fights and after everything was cleared up, six players were handed misconducts and a total of 110 minutes were dished out.

Less than two minutes after the battle, Buffalo took a 5-0 lead with another power-play score. Vanek got his second goal of the game on a backhander from the left side of the net that squeaked past MacDonald. The goal was initially not called, but the replay showed that the goal was valid.

Just 58 seconds into the third, Kotalik's one-timer from the top of the right circle beat MacDonald for the Sabres' third power-play goal of the game.

Hunter ruined Lalime's shutout bid at the 5:21 mark as his wrister on the fly from the right circle found the back of the net for a power-play tally.

"He played a great game for us," said Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff. "He got beat by a heck of a shot and that was the only goal that went in."

Buffalo got the goal back four minutes later on Clarke MacArthur's redirection of a Paille pass for a 7-1 advantage.

The visitors picked up the game's first tally, halfway through the first period with a power-play goal as Jochen Hecht's shot found its way through the short side for a 1-0 lead.

Game Notes

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