FINAL: Bruins 4, Sabres 1 - Coyle's two goals helps get B's back on track

The Bruins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Wednesday night snapping a four-game skid. Boston came out with a lot more energy and much better puck control throughout the game. 

After getting off to a slow start, the Bruins scored on their first shot on goal thanks to a goal from Mason Lohrei on a nice rebound which made it 1-0 at the 4:19 mark. Charlie Coyle scored at the 13:42 mark on the power play thanks to a smooth pass  behind the net from Jake DeBrusk which made it 2-0 Boston. 

Coyle added onto the Boston lead on the power play again in the second period at the 4:18 mark which made it 3-0.

 Morgan Geekie put the finishing touches on at the 13:44 mark on the man advantage which made it 4-0 Boston. 

The Bruins dominated the third period while the only scoring came from Erik Johnson at the 5:11 mark which made it 4-1. 

Jeremy Swayman finished the night with 25 saves in net for the B's. 

The Bruins will be back in action on Saturday night for a quick trip back to TD Garden to host the New Jersey Devils with face off set for 7 p.m.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

•  Bruins played with more energy and puck control throughout the night. 
• Coyle impressed  finishing the night with two goals, both on the man advantage. 
• Power play impressed tongiht. 
• DeBrusk caught some eyes tonight getting credited with two assists, one of them a sweet pass from behind the net to Coyle right in front. 

________________________________

WHO: Bruins (19-7-6) at Sabres (14-17-4)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: KeyBank Center, Buffalo. 
TV: TNT
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub
LIVE BOX SCORE
ROSTERS

Zacha-Geekie-Pastrnak
Marchand-Coyle-DeBrusk
Van Riemsdyk-Frederic-Heinen
Lauko-Beecher-Brown

Lohrei-McAvoy
Lindholm-Carlo
Wotherspoon-Shattenkirk 

Swayman
Ullmark

SABRES
Skinner-Jost-Tuch
Peterka-Cozens-Quinn
Greenway-Mittelstadt-Benson
Olofsson-Krebs-Okposo

Dahiln - Samuelsson
Power - Clifton
Ryan Johnson - Erik Johnson

Levi
UPL 

PREGAME NOTES

The Bruins conclude their three-gamer road trip tonight in Buffalo to take on the Sabres with face off set for 7:30 p.m. Jim Montgomery told reporters this morning that Patrick Brown will slot in for Oskar Steen to skate with Johnny Beecher and Jakub Lauko. The defense will include Kevin Shattenkirk replacing Ian Mitchell on the third line.  

Boston enters tonight ranking third in the NHL in goals against on defense (85). However, they are just 21st in the league in goals scored (100).  Therefore, one of the big keys for the B's to end their four-game skid is that they will need to be more aggressive on offense and take more shots at the net). According to Hockey Reference, the Bruins also have a Corsi percentage of 49.4, which is a little below the league average. 

Boston faces a Buffalo team that enters tonight coming off a 4-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Saturday night. The Sabres have a Corsi percentage of 50.5 on the season, and  ranks 16th in the NHL in goals for 106. On the other hand, they rank 29th in the league in goals against (121). Jeff Skinner leads Buffalo in goals with 14, while Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin are tied in points at 29.