BSJ Game Report: Bruins 3, Sabres 0 -- Dobby does it again

BUFFALO -- Anton Khudobin was outstanding and led the Boston Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center. He finished with 36 saves to post his first shutout of the season. Jake DeBrusk, Tim Schaller (empty net) and David Backes (empty net) scored for the Bruins.

"He was square, in control," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "Not a lot bothered him, not a lot going on around him, in terms of him overplaying situations. So, you know he's in a good place when that happens and he deserved it. He was full value and we needed that out of Anton."

Everything you need to know from the Bruins' victory in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis.

HEADLINES



Mr. Zero: Khudobin entered this game after losing his two previous starts. Since the Bruins were playing the second game of the back-to-back, Cassidy decided to go with Khudobin. He was dialed in from the opening faceoff and never lost his composure.

“I’m glad I didn’t get scored on,” he said with a smile. “Finally (my first) win in three weeks.”

It was his sixth career shutout.

https://twitter.com/SabresFanatics/status/943309375682367489

Back to normal: With his eighth goal of the season, DeBrusk now has five goals and six assists for 11 points in his last 12 games. More importantly, he has two goals and two assists in his last two games and his snipe against Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner at 10:14 of the second period was an elite NHL goal that went high glove to the short side.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/943300812108959745

TURNING POINT

Stoned: Khudobin was composed from the opening faceoff and he had to be. His performance, especially in the first period, proved crucial. He was outstanding in the opening 20 minutes and finished with 17 saves to keep the game scoreless. He was fundamentally sound and made a couple reactionary stops at key moments. The Bruins rewarded their netminder by scoring the first goal of the game at 10:14 of the second period.

TWO UP

Kevan Miller: Played one of his better games all season to this point. He’s been consistently good all year, but this was the type of game the Bruins needed his energy. He was physical. He dropped the gloves. He was pinching offensively, getting shots and even hit the post. He did it all, but the fight gave the Bruins a little extra jump.

“That matters,” Cassidy said. “It gives you juice. We were having a tough time early on. I’m not going to say we were in mud, but we were searching for our legs and (Buffalo) was playing a smart game. Kevan gives us energy.”

Charlie McAvoy dropped the gloves during Monday’s game, and tonight it was Miller’s turn.



Noel Acciari: He's not afraid to sacrifice his body. He recorded two huge blocked shots in the waning minutes of regulation with the Bruins holding a one-goal lead.

TWO DOWN

Power play: The Bruins went 0-for-2 on the man-advantage and both units were out of sync. Boston's power play, while it has been producing, has been inconsistent and in a game like this, it could have been the difference between a win and a loss. Fortunately, Khudobin was the best player on the ice for the Bruins.

David Pastrnak: He played well but he finds himself in this category because he snapped his career-best 12-game point streak. The traveling media probably jinxed him because we asked him about his recent offensive prowess prior to the game. He finished with five goals and nine assists for 14 points during that span.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Cassidy on the rookie class: “There’s a lot of newness, so we have to keep reminding them: like woodpeckers every night, it’s consistency that matters at this level.”

UP NEXT

The Bruins will host the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. Thursday at TD Garden.