Offense Returns in 4-2 Win Over Buffalo

After scoring just four goals in five games, the offense came alive for the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. With the Buffalo Sabres in town, the Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead, en route to evening their five-game total with four goals in a 4-2 victory at the TD Garden.

One of the rough spots for Boston has been the performance of the power play. The Bruins entered the game with a 6-for-55 mark on the man advantage, but that number quickly improved. Paul Gaustad picked up a roughing penalty 2:44 into the contest, and Boston’s power play made him pay. The Bruins cycled the puck around the boards in the offensive end to Zdeno Chara at the left point. Chara sent a pass across the blueline to Derek Morris, who tossed a wrist shot in on goal. Mark Recchi got a piece of the shot in the slot, tipping it down and through Jhonas Enroth for the game’s opening goal.

Later in the period, the Bruins were given a second power play, as Mike Grier was sent off for tripping. Boston’s second man advantage of the night took a little bit more time to set up, but the end result was the same. For the second time in a row, the power play was worked through Zdeno Chara, who started by sending a slap shot in on goal. Enroth made the save on that, as well as a few rebound chances, before the puck squirted out to the left wing boards. Blake Wheeler chased down the loose puck, dishing a pass back to Chara for a one-timer. This shot didn’t miss, as the captain’s bomb hit off of Henrik Tallinder, before bouncing into the net.

The first period was one of Boston’s better periods of late, as the home team carried a 2-0 lead into the intermission, while also leading in shots at 11-7.

Early in the second period, the Bruins picked up right where they left off, extending their lead to three. Andrej Sekera left the puck off for Jason Pominville in the right corner of the Buffalo defensive zone. Pominville tried to move the puck forward for Steve Montador, but ended up turning it over to Steve Begin in the slot. After intercepting the pass, Begin tapped the puck to Byron Bitz, who waited out Enroth, before sliding in his second tally of the season.

Less than two minutes later, the Sabres got a goal back. Buffalo skated into the offensive zone on a bit of an odd-man rush, with Clarke MacArthur ultimately rifling a shot high and wide from the left side. The puck curled around the boards to the right point, where Craig Rivet was able to keep the play alive. Rivet tossed the puck into the slot hoping to connect with a teammate. That teammate ended up being Derek Roy, who took a whack at the bouncing puck to beat Tuukka Rask on his stick side.

3-1 was the score for the majority of the middle frame, but with 1:29 remaining, the Bruins added another goal for a more comfortable lead. Marco Sturm tapped the puck to Patrice Bergeron in center ice, sending him in on the left side of the offensive zone. With the puck on his backhand, Bergeron was being pressured by the defense, taking away any opportunity for a good shot. That was okay with Bergeron, who was able to find Sturm in the circle for a one-timer. Sturm hammered his shot, putting it off of the right post and in.

Once again, the Bruins had the advantage in goals and shots, taking a 4-1 lead on the scoreboard, while outshooting the Sabres 28-17 after two periods of play.

The three-goal margin appeared to be safe during the third period. However, with 1:48 left in regulation, Buffalo did get one more goal. Tyler Myers got the puck at the right point, and elected to stickhandle into the lower half of the offensive zone. Myers carried the puck down to the goal line, before slipping a pass through the crease to Jason Pominville. Pominville didn’t have much of an issue slamming in the goal, as the play happened too quickly for Rask to be able to get over.

The two divisional opponents made sure to enforce their dislike for one another, as a series of fights took place over the course of the evening. Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves twice, defeating Steve Montador during the first period, before responding with a second quality fight against Paul Gaustad in the third period. The third period was when most of the physical play took place, as Mark Stuart also got into a fight, getting the best of Jochen Hecht. Brad Marchand and Tim Kennedy had a disagreement that led to ten minute misconducts, while Zdeno Chara and Patrick Kaleta also picked up miscoducts before the ensuing face-off.

When all was said and done, the Bruins put an end to their three-game winless streak with a 4-2 win over the visiting Sabres. Tuukka Rask improved to 3-1-1 on the season, making 28 saves on 30 shots in the win for Boston. Jhonas Enroth suffered the loss in his NHL debut for Buffalo, despite stopping 33 of the 37 shots he faced.

The Boston Bruins have a few days off, before returning to the ice for a rather interesting week of games. Boston will play a pair of games against Pittsburgh, with a game against Florida in the middle. The first of those tilts takes place on Tuesday night, when the Penguins visit the TD Garden. The Providence Bruins had a difficult weekend, as they dropped all three of their games. Providence fell to Hartford, Lowell, and Hershey, dropping to 5-8-1 on the season. The Baby B’s will be on the road for three games next weekend, visiting Syracuse, Lowell, and Worcester.

Scoring Summary:
1. BOS Recchi (3) (Morris, Chara) (PP) 3:17
1. BOS Chara (1) (Wheeler) (PP) 16:31
2. BOS Bitz (2) (Begin, Thornton) 1:22
2. BUF Roy (3) (Rivet, MacArthur) 2:47
2. BOS Sturm (3) (Bergeron, Begin) 18:31
3. BUF Pominville (4) (Myers, Connolly) 18:12

Penalty Summary:
1. BUF Gaustad- Roughing 2:44
1. BOS Bench- Too Many Men on the Ice 5:24
1. BOS Paille- Goaltender Interference 10:24
1. BOS Wideman- Holding 11:44
1. BUF Montador- Fighting 14:29
1. BOS Thornton- Fighting 14:29
1. BUF Grier- Tripping 15:54
2. BUF Bench- Too Many Men on the Ice 6:20
2. BOS Sturm- Boarding 11:18
3. BOS Marchand- High Sticking 2:42
3. BOS Marchand- Holding 10:38
3. BUF Gaustad- Fighting 14:00
3. BOS Thornton- Roughing 14:00
3. BOS Thornton- Fighting 14:00
3. BUF Hecht- Fighting 17:10
3. BUF Kennedy- 10 Minute Misconduct 17:10
3. BOS Stuart- Fighting 17:10
3. BOS Marchand- 10 Minute Misconduct 17:10
3. BUF Kaleta- Slashing 17:11
3. BUF Kaleta- 10 Minute Misconduct 17:11
3. BOS Chara- Slashing 17:11
3. BOS Chara- 10 Minute Misconduct 17:11

Goalies:
BUF Jhonas Enroth (0-1-0): 37 shots, 33 saves
BOS Tuukka Rask (3-1-1): 30 shots, 28 saves

Shots on Goal:
BUF 7-10-13=30
BOS 11-17-9=37

Power Plays:
BUF 0-for-7
BOS 2-for-4

Three Stars of the Game:
1- BOS Zdeno Chara
2- BOS Steve Begin
3- BOS Shawn Thornton