A second-period burst, with two Islanders goals in two minutes, proved pivotal as New York defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Saturday night at UBS Arena. The Sabres outshot New York 29-20 and recorded nine high-danger chances to the Islanders’ six in the defeat, their second shutout loss in their last three games.

The Islanders needed this one, but more than that, they needed this one in this way. They needed to hold a lead in the third period, something they’ve failed to do in five of the past seven games, and they needed the special teams to thrive after Patrick Roy called the power play “awful” a little more than 24 hours prior in Washington.

The Sabres’ first action after Thanksgiving did not go as planned last night, as the blue and gold were defeated in OT by the Vancouver Canucks. The team has a chance to get right back on the saddle on the road against the New York Islanders.

Jakob Chychrun scored the overtime winner and had an assist and the Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 5-4.

You’d call it a Thanksgiving hangover, except this is who the Islanders have been all year round. Which leads you to conclude: Maybe this is who the Islanders are. Twenty-four games into the season, it’s no longer early,