Zdeno Chara and Michael Ryder each scored a goal in both the 2nd and 3rd, while Tuuka Rask made 26 saves to give the Boston Bruins a crucial 5-3 road victory in Buffalo yesterday afternoon. Despite leading for most of the first two periods and carrying a 3-2 lead into the 3rd, the Sabres were unable to keep the Bruins in check in the final frame, and will have to hope they can win on the road in Boston tomorrow to regain the series lead.
Ryan Miller was good in net for Buffalo, stopping 27 of 31 Boston shots, and the Sabres definitely felt the loss of Thomas Vanek in the 2nd period. Vanek, who had a goal in Game 1 and assisted on the Sabres first goal of Game 2, was slashed on a drive to the net midway through the 2nd, and crashed into the endboards awkwardly, injuring his leg and missing the rest of the game.
Tyler Myers scored the game’s first goal, as his point shot was deflected over Rask by a Bruin defender attempting to block the shot. Matt Ellis gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead later in the first, but the Bruins were able to tie it in the 2nd with goals from Chara and Ryder. Ryder got the Bruins on the board with a tip-in off a drive from the point that caromed up and over Ryan Miller in the Buffalo crease. Chara tied the game 7 minutes later, creeping in from the point and burying a rebound to knot the game at 2-2. Jason Pominville would put the Sabres back on top with a snipe from in tight in the closing minutes of the period, outworking a Boston defender and gathering a pass off a Milan Lucic turnover before beating Rask up high on the short side.
In the 3rd, Michael Ryder finished off a counterattack by burying a pass from Blake Wheeler that tipped off Vladimir Sobotka, after catching Buffalo’s forwards deep in the zone on a 3-on-2 and turning it into a 4-on-2 the other way. Boston caught a lucky break, as Chara’s wrister from the point tipped off Pominville’s stick on the way in and redirected past Miller. Veteran Mark Recchi would ice the game for the Bruins with an empty netter that put Boston up two goals with 20 seconds to play.