Islanders 4, Sabres 0: Evgeni Nabokov turned aside all 35 shots he faced and captain Mark Streit and Michael Grabner scored 65 seconds apart in the middle period as visiting New York snapped a three-game losing streak to Buffalo.

John Tavares netted his 12th goal of the season, Colin McDonald also tallied and Matt Moulson notched a pair of assists as the Islanders won their second straight after dropping seven of their previous nine.

Ryan Miller finished with 28 saves for the Sabres, who remained winless under interim coach Ron Rolston. Buffalo has dropped a season-high four straight and six of its last seven.

Nabokov highlighted his 53rd career shutout and first this season with a bevy of flashy saves. The Russian netminder sprawled to deny Thomas Vanek from in close in the first period and made a stellar glove save on Drew Stafford during the second.

Streit, who also had an assist, snapped a scoreless tie with 2:09 remaining in the second period. The defenseman jumped into the play and collected Moulson's pass before beating Miller for his fourth goal. Grabner doubled the advantage just over a minute later, making blue-liner Christian Ehrhoff pay for a turnover by beating Miller on a breakaway.

GAME NOTEBOOK: G Rick DiPietro, who has eight years remaining on his 15-year, $67.5 million contract, cleared waivers and was assigned to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. The Islanders recalled G Kevin Poulin from the Sound Tigers prior to the game. ... Buffalo, which went 0-for-6 on the power play, is just 2-for-46 in February. ... The struggling Sabres have not led after two periods in 17 consecutive games.