BSJ Game Report: Bruins 3, Sabres 2 - Rask, power play bails out B’s against Buffalo

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-2 win over the Sabres in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

TOP TAKEAWAYS

B’s sleepwalk out the gate, but claw back behind Rask: Hockey can truly be a cruel game. Despite entering the first intermission with an absurd 17-4 edge in shots on goal, the Sabres found themselves in the same spot they were in when the puck was dropped Thursday night at TD Garden — stuck in a deadlock, this time by way of a 1-1 draw.

Despite getting outshot, 14-0, at one point on the night, the Bruins did not let a slow start snowball into something much worse against Buffalo. After Brad Marchand erased a one-goal deficit with a deflection past Linus Ullmark at 13:52 in the first, the winger gave Boston the lead in the following stanza, cashing in on the power play to make it 2-1.

Boston’s man advantage was efficient on Thursday, capitalizing on both opportunities — including David Pastrnak’s eventual game-winner at 1:56 in the third. Still, even with a 3-2 victory over the Sabres, Bruce Cassidy noted postgame that the B’s managed to win by way of their “B Game,” noting that two points would have been obsolete had Tuukka Rask not put together a fantastic outing — headlined by a highlight-reel stop on Evan Rodrigues that is going to be a contender for Save of the Year. 

It was far from a perfect night for Boston, but enough went right to overcome a putrid start.

Boston’s shorthanded power play is finding its legs again: Torey Krug has a chance to return this weekend after missing over a week due to an upper-body injury, but the shuffled top power play hasn’t looked worse for wear, especially over the last couple of games. 



On a night in which Boston’s power play went 2-for-2, Matt Grzelcyk notched another point after beating Zemgus Girgensons to a loose puck in the slot and feeding it down low on Marchand’s second goal of the night, while the BU product also excelled at keeping the puck in the Sabres’ zone on numerous occasions. 

Add in a pair of helpers for Danton Heinen down low as the PP1’s netfront option, and Boston’s top weapon up front is humming right along despite Krug’s absence. Impressive stuff. 

B’s avoid injury bug: While Thursday did mark Patrice Bergeron’s return from a two-game absence due to a lower-body injury, Boston’s list of injured skaters is still quite extensive — featuring the likes of Torey Krug, Kevan Miller, John Moore, Karson Kuhlman and more. 

The B’s could have had another two names added to the list on Thursday, as both Par Lindholm and Jake DeBrusk suffered scares in the first and second period, respectively. 

Lindholm exited the game in the opening minutes of the first period after getting caught along the end boards by Rasmus Asplund, shaking off his gloves and heading straight down the tunnel. While he did not return for the remainder of the first, he was eventually spotted back on the ice in the second period, and finished the game with 6:18 of ice time.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1197670217872269313

DeBrusk, playing in just his second game after missing the previous five games with a lower-body injury, nearly tucked a puck past Ullmark on a fantastic rush in the final minute of the second. However, the B’s winger was denied and subsequently slammed into the boards. 

After getting up, DeBrusk immediately got back up and went right to the bench and down the tunnel. The optics didn’t look too good, but the forward did return for the third period. A good sign for Boston, although  we'll see how those bumps and bruises feel tomorrow. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1197691987572482048

FOUR UP

Tuukka Rask: Rask would make it on this list off of that Rodrigues save alone, but the netminder was solid all night, stopping 36 of the 38 saves that came his way — including 16 stops in the first period alone. 

Brad Marchand: Boston didn’t start on time Thursday night, to put it lightly, but Marchand provided quite the spark — knotting the contest up at one goal apiece at 13:52 in the first period before cashing in on the power play for his second tally at 14:45 in the middle stanza. Marchand has now scored 161 goals since the start of the 2015-16 season — the third-highest total in the NHL during that stretch. 

David Pastrnak: Ho hum, make that 20 goals for Pastrnak — who is the fastest Bruin to reach that scoring mark (22 games) since Cam Neely hit 20 in his 19th game during the 1993-94 season. 

Matt Grzelcyk: Heinen also deserves credit for keeping plays alive down low and creating space in the crease on the power play, but Grzelcyk once again made a number of crucial plays in high-risk areas up top, highlighted by this absurd keep in. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1197700040392876032

TWO DOWN

Urho Vaakanainen: Vaakanainen drew the ire of Cassidy postgame, especially when it came to his ability to fight off Sabres skaters down low. In his 11:33 of 5v5 TOI, the Bruins were outshot, 11-0. 

Brandon Carlo: Bit of a rough night for Carlo, as Rasmus Ristolainen managed to get inside of him during his power-play goal in the first period, while the B’s defenseman was also on the ice for Brandon Montour’s goal in the third period. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

I mean, c’mon now. Just an absurd stop by Rask to deny Evan Rodrigues.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1197698518724599809

PARTING THOUGHTS

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LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will continue this brief two-game homestand on Saturday night, with the B’s set to host a Minnesota Wild club that is currently 5-10-0 on the road this season. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.