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.