David Krejci scored two goals, Milan Lucic got his first two points of the playoffs with two assists and Miroslav Satan scored what proved to be the game-winner with 5:11 left.
The Bruins will now play the Penguins at Pittsburgh on Friday if the Capitals can beat Montreal in Game 7 Wednesday; if the Habs pull of the major upset and complete the comeback from down 3-1, Boston faces Philadelphia at home.
Thanks for joining us here and be safe while enjoying this big win!
Third period, 1:13, Bruins 4-3: Not so fast, says Thomas Vanek, as he makes it 4-3 with his second goal of the series. The TD Garden has quieted down a bit here, but AC/DC is blaring in hopes of getting the building rocking again.
Third period, 2:06, Bruins 4-2: Ryan Miller has been pulled as the Bruins try to hold on for the win and the Sabres try to avoid elimination.
Third period, 5:11, Bruins 4-2: Miroslav Satan may have buried his old squad once again as he just scored to make it 4-2 Bruins, and TD Garden is rocking to "Shipping Up To Boston". Milan Lucic is having his best game of the series with another assist, and Dennis Wideman got the second helper.
Third period, 9:59, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins did a great job scoring after that failed power play but they had another defensive breakdown on the Nathan Gerbe goal. They need to tighten up out there but at the same time, keep attacking. Easier said than done.
Third period, 12:20, Bruins 3-2: That was quick! The Bruins now lead by one again as Nathan Gerbe answered the Bruins goal with one of his own.
Third period, 12:42, Bruins 3-1: David Krejci just took a beautiful feed in front for his second goal of the game and the Bruins lead 3-1. That was a huge goal for the Bruins after failing to score on the power play. Miroslav Satan had the other helper.
Third period, 12:54, Bruins 2-1: The Sabres just killed off that double-minor and that could be a huge momentum shift. The Bruins might regret that.
Third period, 16:54, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins have a perfect opportunity to put this one away with a four-minute power play, as Adam Mair was called for high-sticking.
Third period, 18:49, Bruins 2-1: Under way here in the third period as the Bruins try to hold on for the win.
End of second period, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins were able to kill of that last Buffalo power play and the Sabres are now 0-for-3. The Bruins lead 2-1 and are one period away from the second round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately the Bruins didn't get that 60 minute effort they wanted but they still lead by one despite a lackluster period. Now they must regain that physical edge and compete level and close this game and series out.
The Sabres will obviously come out and give their all in a desperate attempt to save their season but the Bruins just have to match that desperation as they don't want to blow the series lead and head back to Buffalo. Time to put the Sabres out to pasture.
Second period, 2:19, Bruins 2-1: Earlier in the series the Bruins ironically won Game 4 in double OT thanks to a too-many-men-on-the-ice call against Buffalo. But that call just went against the Bruins and may come back to haunt them once again.
Second period, 4:37, Bruins 2-1: Dennis Wideman just resembled a turnstile as Thomas Vanek went around him to get in alone on Tuukka Rask but Rask made the save. The Bruins need to get it going again.
Second period, 9:43, Bruins 2-1: Thankfully for the Bruins we have a TV timeout as they were skating in quicksand there. The Sabres have picked up their intensity level and the Bruins need to find their own again.
Second period, 13:26, Bruins 2-1: Patrick Kaleta has cut the Bruins lead in half with his first playoff goal. Tim Kennedy and Adam Mair had the helpers.
Second period, 15:49, Bruins 2-0: The Sabres are on their second power play after Milan Lucic took a questionable roughing call. Don't know what the referees were thinking there?
Second period, 18:59, Bruins 2-0: The ageless wonder has done it again and the Bruins are 2-for-3 on the power play as Mark Recchi just beat Ryan Miller to make it 2-0.
David Krejci gets his second point of the game with an assist and Patrice Bergeron gets a helper as well. The goal also gives Recchi two points. This place is rocking!
Second period, 19:44, Bruins 1-0: Underway in the second period and the Bruins have another power play as Tim Connolly is in the box.
End of first period, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins finally have a 1-0 lead and are two periods away from the second round of the playoffs.
Henrik Tallinder was called for delay of game with five seconds left in the period, but Zdeno Chara took a senseless roughing penalty to negate the power play. Bad play by the captain, and it will be 4-on-4 to start the second.
The Bruins still have to be happy with their opening frame, as they played a much more intense and physical first period than in Buffalo in Game 5. They had solid scoring chances and they played with purpose.
Tuukka Rask came up big as well, as the Bruins were out-shot 14-11 and Rask made some key saves. If his teammates can add to this lead, and he will do the rest.
First period, 2:04, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins are 1-for-1 on the power play in Game 6 and 5-for-15 in the series after finishing the season 4-for-53.
First period, 6:21, Bruins 1-0:For the first time in the series, the Bruins have scored the first goal of the game. David Krejci just scored his second of the playoffs, a power-play goal, to make it 1-0 Bruins. Mark Recchi and Matt Hunwick had the helpers.
First period, 7:26: Steve Montador is off to the penalty box and the Bruins are headed onto their first power play.
First period, 9:55: Bruins fans most definitely wanted to see Marc Savard back on the ice for Game 6, but later they may realize it was the best decision to keep him out. Remember Scott Stevens' hit on Eric Lindros when the Flyers rushed Lindros back from a concussion?
First period, 12:18: The Bruins have yet to score the first goal in the series, and now would be a great time to change that.
First period, 14:48: The Bruins killed off that power play and actually had a great short-handed bid, but Marco Sturm — who has one goal in his last 21 games — couldn't bury it.
First period, 17:28: The Sabres have the game's first power play, as Steve Begin is in the sin bin for cross-checking.
First period, 19:34: We are underway here in Game 6 as the Bruins try to close out the series.
7:07 p.m.: The Bruins and Sabres are lining up for the Star Spangled Banner, and Rene Rancourt is about to belt it out. Almost ready for Game 6.
6:50 p.m.: The Bruins and Sabres have completed their pregame skates here at TD Garden and we're ready to get into what Michale Ryder termed earlier Monday should be a do-or-die game for the Bruins, not just the Sabres. As Ryder said, this should be treated like a Game 7 by the Bruins if they want to avoid an actual Game 7 in Buffalo on Wednesday night.
Ryder also had this to say as well: "We didn't get that 3-1 lead in the series for nothing, and we need to come out hard, be physical and let them know we're here."
That, of course, prompted this reporter to think of the Hanson Brothers from Slapshot fame and their first pregame experience with the Chiefs — but we can't exactly link the YouTube clip here, due to profanities. But you all know what I am talking about, so go find it and get pumped up!
The Bruins won't have Marc Savard in the lineup, so the roster will remain the same as it was at practice on Sunday. The Sabres, however, will have Thomas Vanek back. Drew Stafford will watch from the press box as a result. Here are the expected lineups for Game 6:
Bruins
Forwards
Marco Sturm–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Milan Lucic–David Krejci–Miroslav Satan
Blake Wheeler–Vladimir Sobotka–Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille–Steve Begin–Shawn Thornton
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Matt Hunwick–Dennis Wideman
Andrew Ference–Adam McQuaid
Goaltenders
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Sabres
Forwards
Tyler Ennis–Derek Roy–Jason Pominville
Paul Gaustad–Tim Connolly–Mike Grier
Nathan Gerbe–Adam Mair–Cody McCormick
Thomas Vanek–Tim Kennedy–Patrick Kaleta
Defenseman
Henrik Tallinder–Tyler Myers
Andrej Sekera–Craig Rivet
Toni Lydman–Steve Montador
Goaltenders
Ryan Miller
Patrick Lalime
5:25 p.m.: As I just tweeted moments ago, the Bruins have confirmed that center Marc Savard will not play tonight. Savard is not on the official roster sheet. Details will follow when we have them.
2 p.m.: The Bruins and Sabres held their game day skates at TD Garden on Monday morning, and the big news from there is that Thomas Vanek will play and Marc Savard is "unlikely" to be in the lineup for the B's.
A source told NESN.com that even if the Bruins' leading scorer of the last two seasons passes his neuro-psych test this afternoon, chances are very slim he will be throwing on the spoked-B tonight.
Vanek, however, will be donning the "Elvis" Sabres emblem tonight as he tries to provide an offensive boost to a squad that finally found some offense in Game 5 in a 4-1 win.
"He's excited to be back," Miller said. "It's been tough for him to
watch, just talking to him. He does bring a new element to our offense.
It looks like he's getting around the ice just fine."
7:36 a.m.: The Bruins welcome the Sabres back to the TD Garden on Monday night in what they hope will be the final time they face their longtime division rivals this season.
The B's had a chance to close out the series in Buffalo, but lost Game 5 on Friday 4-1. They now look to clinch a berth in the second round with a win in Game 6 and avoid going back to HSBC Arena for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday.
"We know what we need to do [Monday] and we just need to go out and do it," Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron said.
What they need to do is score the first goal of the game and set the tempo before the Sabres can gain any momentum. The Bruins have yet to accomplish that feat in this series. The Sabres believe they can bring this series back to Buffalo and regain home-ice advantage, and in Game 5 they showed they're capable of that.
"Now that they've seen our best game, they're going to have to react to our best game," Sabres goalie Ryan Miller said following his team's win.
Miller is exactly right. The Bruins need to react the same way they did in Game 2, but unlike in that game, in this one they'll have the backing of 17,565 fans behind them. A win Monday will make sure this is not the last time this season that the Black and Gold faithful will be cheering them on at the Garden.
