The Boston Bruins tie their series against the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-2 victory at Key Bank Arena.
After a back-and-forth first period with both teams going scoreless, the Bruins flipped the game heavily in their favor with three consecutive goals in the second period.
Boston scored their first goal five minutes into the second with a backhand five hole shot from Viktor Arvidsson. The Bruins had multiple good looks before this goal including two consecutive power play chances, and Arvidsson snuck past Buffalo’s defense and fired a backhand goal between the legs of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
With only three minutes remaining in the second period, Boston added two more goals to extend their lead. Their first goal resulted because of a blunder from Luukkonen, who failed to save a backhand dump-in from Morgan Geekie. And a minute later with the Bruins on the power play, David Pastrnak gave Pavel Zacha a chip-in goal from the slot to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead.
The momentum rolled on into the final period with the Bruins scoring their fourth unanswered goal. Only 16 seconds into the period, Boston’s second line landed on a two-on-one with Arvidsson sniping his second goal of the game. Following the goal, the Sabres decided to change goalies, subbing in Alex Lyon for Luukkonen.
The Sabres finally scored their first goal with only six minutes remaining in regulation. They pulled their goalie following their initial goal, and momentum flipped to their side as the Bruins struggled to get the puck out of their zone. Peyton Krebs scored Buffalo’s second goal roughly a minute after their first, bringing the game within a two goal deficit.
But the Bruins managed to preserve, killing the remaining time on the clock and tying the series 1-1 heading into Boston.
Boston won the special teams battle by killing all five of Buffalo’s power play attempts. Jeremy Swayman played a key role in the victory, stopping 34-of-36 shots and keeping the Sabres scoreless for a majority of the contest.
The Bruins will now head back to TD Garden to play game three of the series. Puck drop on Thursday will be at 7 p.m.
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WHO: Bruins at Sabres
WHEN: 7:30 p/m/
WHERE: Key Bank Arena, Buffalo
TV: ESPN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub
Geekie – E. Lindholm – Pastrnak
Mittelstadt – Zacha – Arvidsson
Hagens – Minten – Khusnutdinov
Jeannot – Kuraly – Kastelic
Greenway – Dunne – Malenstyn
The Boston Bruins look to tie up their series with the Buffalo Sabres.
The Bruins will have the same lineup and a similar plan for Game 2 on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Arena.
Sturm called out his second line of Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson and Casey Mittelstadt for playing below their standard in Game 1. Their lost puck battles led to critical Sabres goals late. “I think we weren’t as aggressive on the forecheck. We talked about it as a line. We have to win the puck battles there,” he said. “We knew we have to be better. When you’re minus-3 in a game, in the next game you have to show that you’re back at it and create chances. Even if you’re not on the scoresheet, be a difference maker. Hit some guys. Be more on the puck. I’m excited for the challenge today.”
