the Buffalo Sabres are closing out games could make them extremely tough
to face a few weeks from now.
Tyler Myers had a goal and set up Paul
Gaustad's score to lift the surging Sabres to their sixth win in seven
games, 3-2 over the Boston Bruins on Monday night.
Miller made 40 saves, including Marco
Sturm's penalty shot in the first period and Mark Recchi's shot from the
edge of the crease as the final horn sounded, in a matchup of last
month's USA Olympic goaltenders.
Tim Kennedy also scored for Buffalo,
which moved one point behind Pittsburgh for second overall in the
Eastern Conference.
The Sabres improved to 27-0-0 when
leading after two periods, but had to hold on after Dennis Seidenberg
scored to make it 3-2 with 5:37 to play.
"It was really big for us, especially
with the spot they're in and the desperation they have," Myers. "It was a
huge road win for us. As a team right now, we're focused on moving
forward."
David Krejci had Boston's other goal.
The Bruins, who remained in eighth place in the East after Carolina
defeated Atlanta 4-1, lost for the third time seven games.
For the goal-starved Bruins, tied for
last in the league in scoring, getting behind 3-1 early was just too
much to overcome.
"We had an opportunity to get back in
the game, but the goaltender made some good saves at some opportune
times," Boston coach Claude Julien said.
Boston goalie Tim Thomas, Miller's
backup in Vancouver, was pulled following the Sabres' third goal and
left the ice to jeers. He was making his second straight start after
shutting out Calgary on Saturday.
"The fact that I was leaving the ice?
I don't know what they were booing," said Thomas, who agreed it was his
most frustrating time since coming into the NHL late in 2003 season.
"You don't like to see it," Miller
said of the boos toward Thomas. "We are competitive to a certain degree,
but I know he's a little bit frustrated. I didn't think there was a
whole lot he could do on at least two of those goals."
The Bruins grabbed a 1-0 lead when
Krejci made a nifty move by faking to go behind the net from the right
side before tucking a shot inside the post, beating Miller at 7:43 of
the first.
Myers' goal tied it 2:13 later. He
stole a clearing pass at the right point and fired a high shot that hit
defenseman Dennis Wideman's arm and caromed by Thomas.
The Sabres made it 2-1 when Gaustad
scored on a backhand from in close off a rebound midway into the opening
period.
The Bruins, who had a big edge early
in the first period with strong play and some good scoring chances,
ended up outshooting Buffalo just 14-11 in the period.
Miller blocked Sturm's penalty shot
when the winger shot it into his body at 3:20 of the first.
Kennedy completed a 2-on-1 break when
he slipped a shot under Thomas' left pad 6:08 into the second period.
"You have to try and change the
momentum," Julien said. "I don't think I have to try and justify
anything. Like I said, hindsight is 20-20. You look at Timmy's last game.
He was extremely good. We expected that tonight."
When Thomas was lifted in favor of
Tuukka Rask, he headed down the runway toward the dressing room and
missed about six minutes of play.
Seidenberg's shot from the left wing
hit Miller, popped over his left shoulder and rolled into the net.
Notes
It was the sixth time this
season Thomas has been pulled from a game. Rask has never been removed.
… Buffalo's Derek Roy was held without a goal after getting a hat
trick in a win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. … The Bruins dropped to
3-10-3 at home since New Year's Day. … Julien said he didn't have an
update on injured defenseman Andrew Ference, but also said he would not
be with the team in New Jersey on Tuesday.