Boston, Mass. (WGR 550) - In danger of spiraling further down the standings, the Buffalo Sabres shocked one of the league's best, the Boston Bruins, at TD Garden on Thursday night with a 3-1 win to snap a four-game losing skid.
The opening 20 minutes were of the scoreless variety.
Newest Sabres forward Eric Robinson, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, thought he scored his first goal with his new team. Despite being called a goal on the ice, officials reviewed the play for goaltender interference and, thus, reversed the call.
The Sabres then got the scoring started, for real, 78 seconds into the middle stanza. The blue and gold posted 19 shots in the first period, and made sure to keep the barrage going when JJ Peterka's shot off the draw beat former Sabres netminder Linus Ullmark.
Later in the period, the Sabres' lead inflated to 2-0 when Tage Thompson recorded his first goal since returning from injury, and also his first overall since Nov. 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Less than a minute later, though, the Bruins scratched their way onto the scoreboard. Boston captain Brad Marchand threw a pass toward the net that deflect off the foot of Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson and in behind goalie Devon Levi.
The all important "next goal" went to the Sabres with 8:44 to play in regulation.
A 2-on-1 developed for the Sabres with a Bruins defender caught deep in the Buffalo defensive zone. The puck went back the other way with Victor Olofsson handling and Robinson to his left. Olofsson kept the puck and beat his old teammate to make it a 3-1 Sabres lead.
The Bruins dialed up the pressure for a majority of the third period, but Levi and company were able to withstand everything Boston threw their way.
The blue and gold weathered the storm at the end of the game. Boston emptied their net for the final three minutes of regulation, and were unable to pull any closer en route to a significant, and much-needed, upset victory for the Sabres.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: NONE
BOS: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 1:18 - JJ Peterka (11) (Dylan Cozens); 16:57 - Tage Thompson (7) (Connor Clifton)
BOS: 17:35 - Brad Marchand (12) (Hampus Lindholm)
Third Period:
BUF: 11:16 - Victor Olofsson (4) (Unassisted)
BOS: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Devon Levi - BUF
2.) Brad Marchand - BOS
3.) Tage Thompson - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres return Buffalo to host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday for a 7 p.m. EST faceoff at KeyBank Center. Pregame coverage on WGR with Brian Koziol, Paul Hamilton and Brayton Wilson starts at 6 p.m. EST.