In a Saturday matinee at TD Garden, the Bruins welcomed in the struggling Buffalo Sabres.
Actually, "struggling" is a severe understatement as the Sabres had suffered 16 consecutive losses heading into Saturday's action.
There were times it looked like Saturday might be the end of that streak, as it wasn't a pretty game by any means from Boston. But thanks to some timely depth scoring in the third period, the Bruins extended Buffalo's winless streak to 17 games.
Here are three key takeaways from a 3-2 Boston win:
1. Ritchie, Smith step up
It was shaping up to be a rather lifeless defeat until the Bruins put the foot on the gas in the third period.
Charlie McAvoy used his skating to circle the offensive zone not once, but twice, before finding Nick Ritchie in front for the game-tying goal.
A few minutes later, Craig Smith would find Ritchie with a cross-ice pass on a 3-on-2 — Ritchie's shot bounced around before Smith put home what proved to be the game-winning goal.
It was a big day for the Bruins' second line of Ritchie, Smith and David Krejci. Not only did they score both third-period goals, but the Bruins outshot Buffalo 13-1 when they were on the ice.
The Bruins will hope that line can continue to provide that kind of secondary offense going forward.
2. Rookie mistake
After a more than solid performance in his first start against Pittsburgh, Dan Vladar made a costly mistake right out of the gate against the Sabres.
While shorthanded, Vladar stopped a dump-in attempt behind his net and ended up passing directly to the tape of Sam Reinhart, who took advantage of Vladar being out of position to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.
Vladar played well the rest of the way, making 25 saves to help the team earn the victory, but still a lesson learned for the young goaltender that less is more when handling the puck.
3. Power-play struggles continue
During Thursday's loss to the Islanders, it was the Bruins' inability to extend a 2-0 lead during an inefficient power play that allowed the Isles to crawl back into the game and eventually win in overtime.
On Saturday, once again the Bruins were unable to not only score, but create much momentum on the man advantage — only this time not against the stingy Islanders, rather against the hemorrhaging Sabres.
Though the top unit was without the services of Brad Marchand, the power play overall lacked motion and shot attempts, going 0-for-5.
While still unsuccessful, the power play did generate chances midway through the third period and looked a little better with McAvoy creating some scoring chances by winning loose puck battles.
The Bruins will eventually find some good fortune on the man advantage, but keeping it simple may allow for it to happen sooner rather than later.
