Mikhail Grabovski's snap shot from the slot midway through the second period stood up as the winner for the New York Islanders, who hung on for a 3-2 victory Sunday over the Buffalo Sabres.
Rookie Anders Lee and Colin McDonald also scored for the Islanders, who nearly squandered a 3-0 lead. Travis Hamonic had two assists in helping New York (34-18-1) earn its second win in six games and vault into first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Marcus Foligno had a goal and assist in his first game after missing 19 with a hand injury. Drew Stafford also scored for Buffalo (16-35-3) in a game the Sabres managed just eight shots through two periods, and were out-shot 31-10 overall.
Buffalo was coming off a 3-2 win over Dallas on Saturday, and dropped to 2-16 in its past 18.
