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Sabres visit Isles aiming to snap winless start

Oct 15, 2013 - 3:04 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The winless Buffalo Sabres will try once again for their first victory of the season when they visit the New York Islanders for Tuesday's battle at Nassau Coliseum.

The Sabres are 0-6-1 this season and have lost their last three games in regulation, although the club lost its past two games by 2-1 scores. The last time Buffalo went seven games into a season without win was in 1999-2000, when it recorded five losses and two ties. The franchise has never gone eight straight without a win to begin a season.

Buffalo dropped a home decision Monday night against Minnesota and former Sabres captain Jason Pominville provided the game-winning goal for the Wild. Back on the familiar ice at First Niagara Center, Pominville broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal late in the second period. Pominville played parts of nine seasons with Buffalo to begin his career before being traded to the Wild last April.

Jhonas Enroth, meanwhile, started in net and made 18 saves for the punchless Sabres, who have only managed to score a total of seven goals this season.

"We can't get down. It's a long season," said Brian Flynn, who scored Buffalo's lone goal on Monday.

Ryan Miller expects to be in net for the Sabres on Tuesday. The veteran goaltender has been solid this season despite his team's record. Miller is 0-4-0, but is sporting a 2.29 goals against average and .941 save percentage.

The American netminder is 15-9-2 with a 3.00 GAA in 27 career games against the Islanders.

The Sabres have had recent success against the Islanders, winning four of the last five encounters between the clubs. Buffalo also has taken three of the past four meetings on Long Island.

While Buffalo takes another shot at its first win of the season on Tuesday, the Islanders will try to get back on track. New York began the season 2-0-1, but has since dropped consecutive regulation decisions by identical 3-2 scores.

Both recent losses for the Islanders came on the road. They were dealt a 3-2 setback on Friday by the Chicago Blackhawks before losing by the same margin the following night in Nashville.

Ryan Ellis scored the winner in the third period on Saturday to help the Predators earn the victory. Ellis blasted a shot from the high slot to beat Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who gave up all three goals on 31 shots in the setback.

Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored for the Islanders, while Kyle Okposo notched a pair of assists.

"It was one of those games, especially as an offensive player, where we really didn't feel like we had a whole lot of room," Tavares said. "Pucks were bouncing, and we couldn't seem to get it done when we needed to."

New York scored a total of 12 goals through its first three games, but has managed only four over the last two outings.

Perhaps, a stay on home ice can get the Isles back in the groove. New York, which recorded a 6-1 win over Phoenix in its last game as the host on Oct. 8, begins a four-game homestand at the Coliseum on Tuesday.