The Buffalo Sabres finally turned the car out of the skid, crushing the New York Islanders before Christmas. That didn’t solve anything – it’s hard to feel great after losing 13 straight games – but at least it temporarily stopped discussions of who the team should trade for.

Alex Tuch and Zach Quinn scored 15 seconds apart to make the score 3-0. Then Connor Bedard fumbled the puck with less than a minute left in the first, which led to a final rush for the Sabres. Dylan Cozens made it 4-0. They were firing on all cylinders and cycling, which made the Blackhawks uncomfortable all period.

So the fact that the Sabres’ game against the Blackhawks was the first sellout since the home opener was significant. More important, though, was that the Sabres got the fans on

The NHL's travel rules did the Hawks no favors Friday, but they looked utterly unready to play in a 6-2 defeat in which they fell behind 4-0 in the first period.

What a difference a win makes. The second sellout crowd of the season at KeyBank Center erupted into the wave and sang along in unison throughout a jubilant third period. And there wasn’t an inflatable palm tree or frown-faced paper bag in sight.

The Buffalo Sabres are back from the three-day NHL holiday break to host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. Visiting teams were not allowed to travel on Thursday, so the Blackhawks left for Buffalo Friday morning.