• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Danis shines as Islanders blank Sabres

Mar 1, 2009 - 4:13 AM UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- The New York Islanders did not begin their season-high six-game homestand on a good note. Goaltender Yann Danis made sure he fixed that.

Danis made 31 saves to notch his second shutout in three games and Sean Bergenheim scored a pair of goals as the Islanders posted a 2-0 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Bergenheim recorded his first multi-goal game of his career for New York, which snapped a two-game skid two nights after falling, 5-4, in a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"The guys put in a pretty good effort," Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. "From the net out, we were solid in all three zones. I think our guys are really getting a good foundation for next year."

The 27-year-old Danis stopped nine shots in the opening session, and made 11 saves in both the second and third periods to secure his second shutout of the season and third career.

"I feel really good here," Danis said. "We've been playing better at home. It's definitely fun. Pucks just hitting me. My positioning's been good. The guys have been great in front of me. We're competing, battling."

Patrick Lalime turned aside 32 shots for Buffalo, which has dropped three in a row.

"These are games we have to win," Lalime said. "We are on the road and they are a team below us in the standings. We have to find a way to be desperate and win.

"They are a young team that is ready to work and maybe a little hungrier than we were. It's not the time of year we want to play like this."

Danis shined in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday and continued his strong stretch of play in this one.

"They made more plays," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought their puck movement was better. They deserve a lot of credit. We had some situations where we were way too cute. Our puck movement was not as crisp or as accurate as it was needed to be."

Bergenheim gave him all the support he would need at 6:13 of the second period, firing a wrist shot from the slot past Lalime.

"It feels good out there right now and my whole game feels better," Bergenheim said.

The Finn struck again with 2:02 remaining in the third by taking a pass from Frans Nielsen and unleashing a snap shot past Lalime while stationed on the doorstep.

"We don't have the offensive firepower, but I think we're starting to make up for it with our work ethic and our commitment to defense," Gordon said. "(Bergenheim's) done a great job at taking (our video sessions) to heart, and going out there and doing it. That's why he's having the success that's he's having."

Buffalo's offensive woes continued because of Danis' brilliance.

The Sabres have been without Thomas Vanek - the team's leading scorer - for nine games and will not get him back from the fractured jaw for at least another two weeks. They are 3-5-1 without the Austrian, who has recorded 32 goals and 20 assists.

"We definitely miss him specially on the power play," Buffalo's Derek Roy said. "He can hang around the net and put back rebounds. We definitely miss a guy like that, especially on those 4-on-3 chances."

New York, meanwhile, may be without their captain, Bill Guerin, for the rest of the season on account of swirling trade rumors that culminated in the right wing being a healthy scratch after taking part in the team's pregame skate.

The Islanders have not disclosed any details regarding which team may have acquired the 17-year veteran. They are expected to make an announcement on Sunday.

"If (Guerin is) traded, he's been great this year," Bergenheim said. "It was just like 'Billy's not going to play with us today.' It was a situation the younger guys hadn't experienced before. I think we responded pretty well."