That opens a key three-game homestand on a positive note, as the Bruins will next host the Islanders on Thursday.
Overtime, 3:02, Bruins 3-2: This one should be over, as Seidenberg fired in a shot from the blue line under the crossbar. Play went on, but a review at the next stoppage showed it was a goal, and the Bruins escape with a 3-2 win.
UPDATE: The goal has now been credited to Mark Recchi, who tipped the Seidenberg shot in front to win it.
Overtime, 1:46, 2-2: The Bruins will be on the power play for the rest of this one, as Luke Adam gets a double minor for high-sticking Savard, drawing blood.
Claude Julien now uses his timeout to rest his power-play unit.
Overtime, 0:40, 2-2: Derek has a chance to end it as he's all alone in front with the puck, but THomas makes the save.
End Regulation, 2-2: And we're headed to overtime in this one.
The Bruins had a couple chances in the final seconds with Campbell and Lucic each having bids from the slot, but Miller stood tall to extend the game to the extra session.
Third Period, 19:22, 2-2: Thomas may have just saved the Bruins at least a point, stopping Vanek after he went around Ference, then Cody McCormick on the rebound out front.
The Sabres have called their timeout with the faceoff in the Boston end.
Third Period, 17:28, 2-2: The Bruins had some chances, but can't convert on the power play.
Weber made up a bit for his miscue earlier as he slid across to block Krejci's rebound from the left wing after Boychuk fired in a shot from the right point.
Third Period, 15:57, 2-2: The Bruins nearly pull ahead, but Horton's bid for a second goal hits off the crossbar from in front.
Third Period, 15:28, 2-2: The Bruins now have a golden chance to pull this one out, as they go on the power play with 4:32 left in regulation after Steve Montador is sent off for high-sticking.
Third Period, 13:39, 2-2: And the Bruins have tied it up, thanks greatly to a horrendous giveaway by Buffalo's Mike Weber.
Weber sent a clearing pass out from the corner right on Horton's tape in the slot, and Horton fired a wrister home to tie it 2-2.
Third Period, 11:00, Sabres 2-1: Vanek nearly strikes again as he clangs the near post with a rocket from the left wing.
Third Period, 8:55, Sabres 2-1: Lucic lands a big hit behind the Sabres' net, which leads to a chance in front, but Miller holds the fort in a scramble in the crease.
Third Period, 6:50, Sabres 2-1: The folks at the Garden try to get the sellout crowd fired up by showing highlights of the Pats' rout of the Jets on Monday night on the jumbotron, and the crowd responds with plenty of noise. Now will the Bruins give them something to cheer about?
Third Period, 5:42, Sabres 2-1: Thomas gets some payback on Kaleta, decking him with a glove shot in teh crease, and he gets away with it with no penalty called.
Third Period, 4:07, Sabres 2-1: The Sabres take the lead for the first time off a stange goal by Thomas Vanek.
Vanek was behind the goal to the right, but banked the shot off THomas' back and into the net.
Third Period, 3:31, 1-1: The Sabres are setting up permanent residence in the Bruins crease, but Thomas continues to stand up to the pressure. The Sabres now lead in shots 20-19.
Third Period, 1:27, 1-1: Kaleta gets a little taste of his own medicine as he tries to crash the crease, but gets blasted into the crossbar by Bergeron, taking thenet off its moorings for a stoppage.
Third Period, 0:00, 1-1: And the final frame is under way as both sides try to break this low-scoring deadlock.
The Bruins are just 0-1-1 when tied after two, while Buffalo is 3-0-3 in that scenario.
Second Intermission Notes: The Bruins are going to have a lot of nightmares about missed open nets after this one, as Boston failed to take advantage of multiple chances to extend their lead before Buffalo tied it late in the second.
The Bruins are still outshooting Buffalo 18-15, but their missed shots (14) and shots blocked (7) outnumber the ones they've actually managed to get on Ryan Miller. That's not the way to beat the reigning Vezina winner who came in having posted back-to-back shutouts.
Tim Thomas has done his part with 14 saves, but the offense needs to start contributing to the effort as well.
The Bruins also struggled on draw in that period, winning just 4 of 13 after taking 15 of 22 in the first period.
End Second Period, 1-1: We have a whole new game now, as the clubs will head into the third all even after Buffalo tied it in the second.
Second Period, 17:32, 1-1: The Bruins can't generate any serious threats on that power play, eliciting some boos from the Garden faithful.
Second Period, 15:32, 1-1: The Bruins have a chance to get that goal back, as they go on the power play with Derek Roy called for hooking.
Second Period, 12:57, 1-1: And the Bruins' inability to put this one away comes back to haunt them as Buffalo ties it.
Luke Adam bangs home a loose puck in front through a mass of bodies for his first career goal.
Second Period, 10:31, Bruins 1-0: Another great chance for the Bruins, as Bergeron sets up Wheeler on the left wing on an odd-man break, but Wheeler again shoots wide of the net.
Second Period, 10:16, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins have been all over Miller and the Sabres, but they haven't been able to get a second goal for some much-needed cushion.
The Bruins could regret not being able to extend this lead and letting the Sabres hang around if Buffalo can pop in the next goal.
Second Period, 7:58, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins kill off the penalty, and actually created the best scoring chances, first with a 2-on-1 break short-handed then with Recchi in alone.
Wheeler fed it over to Krejci on the left side on the 2-on-1, but Miller made the save after Krejci initially bobbled the puck. Bergeron then sent Recchi in alone, but his hit the post after beating Miller.
Second Period, 5:58, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins will have to kill off their first penalty of the night, and it's a big one as they cling to a 1-0 lead with Seguin heading to the box for high-sticking.
Second Period, 5:32, Bruins 1-0: Patrick Kaleta is up to his usual antics, as he shoves Seidenberg after the whistle, then quickly backs down as McQuaid comes over to have a word with him.
Second Period, 5:11, Bruins 1-0: More chances for the Bruins, but Mark Recchi couldn't get a pair of shots through from the slot, then Bergeron fired wide from the left side.
Second Period, 4:15, Bruins 1-0: Thomas Vanek appeared to lead with the knee on a hit on Campbell, but no call is made despite the complaints of Campbell.
Second Period, 2:15, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins have just announced that Mark Stuart will not return to the game with an undisclosed injury.
Second Period, 0:30, Bruins 1-0: Lucic just misses his second goal of the night, as he can't quite redirect the puck into the open cage at the left post off a great feed from Krejci.
Second Period, 0:00, Bruins 1-0: The second period is under way, with the Bruins hoping to maintain their perfect 9-0-0 record when leading after one. The Sabres are 4-6-1 this year when trailing after the first.
First Intermission Notes: After a bit of a slow start, the Bruins turned things up quickly in the opening period.
They didn't put a shot on goal for over six minutes to start the game, but finished the frame with an 11-8 edge. One of those managed to squak by Miller, snapping his career-high shutout streak at 161 minutes, 35 seconds.
It was Milan Lucic's 13th goal in just the 26th game of the year, as he is already just four goals short of his career high of 17.
The Sabres are actually outhitting Boston 7-5, but the Bruins set the tone physically with some tough play led by Johnny Boychuk, whose clean hit on Jason Pominville brought Steve Montador over to initiate a fight. Boychuk finished the fight with a series of uppercuts, much to teh Garden crowd's delight.
The Bruins are also excelling in the faceoff circle, an area they have struggled in most of the year. They're 15-7 (68 percent) so far, led by Greg Campbell (4-1), Marc Savard (4-1) and Patrice Bergeron (5-2).
End First Period, Bruins 1-0: The first period has come to a close, and it was a solid opening 20 minutes for the Bruins, who set a physical tone and take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
First Period, 16:04, Bruins 1-0: Tempers remain short here as Mike Weber throws a late hit on Marchand after a whistle. That brings Campbell over for some words, but nothing further develops with the linesmen jumping in quickly.
First Period, 16:04, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins created some good looks on that power play, but can't add to the lead.
First Period, 14:04, Bruins 1-0: The gloves are off, as ex-Bruin Steve Montador takes on Johnny Boychuk in the first bout of the night. Montador was doing OK early, but Boychuk takes over late with some nasty looking uppercuts to take him down for the decision.
In addition to taking a beating, Montador also took an extra roughing minor, giving the Bruins the first power play of the night.
First Period, 13:21, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins strike for that all important first goal, snapping Miller's shutout streak as Milan Lucic gets Boston on the board.
He came out from behind the net and fired in a shot from the right side with Krejci providing the screen in front as the puck barele squeaked over the line at the near post.
First Period, 10:20, 0-0: Showing his toughness once again, Thornton has returned to the Bruins bench.
First Period, 8:08, 0-0: Thornton skates off in pain after taking a shot in front. He headed to the locker room.
First Period, 6:39, 0-0: Thomas continues to amaze, as Tyler Ennis weaves around Seidenberg and Thomas, then tries to stuff the puck in at the right post, but Thomas flashes out a skate for the toe save.
First Period, 6:11, 0-0: The Bruins continue to pressure, as Krejci steals the puck from Mike Grier for another opportunity, but Boston still does not have a shot on goal in the game.
Thomas has made three saves so far though, including a couple of tough ones in close.
First Period, 4:26, 0-0: The Bruins threaten again with some good work by teh Savard line. Seguin leads the rush down the left side and drops it back to Ryder on the right wing, but his shot slides just wide.
First Period, 2:05, 0-0: The Bruins have their first big chance, as Marchand outraces the defense to the puck, comes out from behind the net and tries to set up Campbell alone in front, but the puck skips over his stick.
First Period, 1:10, 0-0: It took over a minute for the Bruins to get the puck out of their own zone as the Sabres have them back on their heels a bit to start this one.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: This one is under way, a little later than usual due to the national broadcast, but the wait is over as the Bruins and Sabres have begun their key Northeast Division clash.
7:30 p.m.: The scratches are official, and Paille is the lone player out for Boston now that Jordan Caron is down in Providence.
The Sabres have scratched captain Craig Rivet once again, while former Bruin Shaone Morrisonn is out with a head injury and Drew Stafford is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The Bruins will open with Thomas in goal, Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference on defense and Krejci, Lucic and Horton up front.
Buffalo will counter with Miller in net, ex-Bruin Steve Montador and Jordan Leopold on the blue line at former Boston College star Nathan Gerge, Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek at forward.
7:15 p.m.: The warm-ups are complete, and the Bruins ran lines with the same combinations they've used since Marc Savard returned last Thursday.
Savard is still with Michael Ryder and Tyler Seguin, while David Krejci remains between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, Patrice Bergeron is flanked by Mark Recchi and Blake Wheeler and Greg Campbell is with Brad Marchand and Shawn Thornton.
Daniel Paille skated in warmups, but did not participate in the line drills. He looks like he will be a scratch against his former team.
7 p.m.: The Bruins and Sabres have taken the ice for warm-ups, with Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller leading their respective clubs onto the ice.
We will indeed get a matchup of the last two Vezina winners in this one, as the 2010 U.S. Olympic teammates will face each other in the nets.
6:30 p.m.: The Bruins will look to get back on the winning track and move over .500 at home in this one, but it won't be easy against a Sabres team that has a winning record on the road and comes in having won its last two games.
Both of those wins were shutouts, as Ryan Miller is back in his Vezina form of a year ago. Of course, Tim Thomas, who won the Vezina two years ago, has been pretty good this year as well.
Buffalo's 6-5-2 road mark is actually better than what Boston has been able to accomplish at home, where the Bruins are just 5-5-2 this season.
6 p.m.: The Bruins will look to bounce back from Saturday's shootout setback in Toronto as they get ready to host the Sabres in about 90 minutes.
The Bruins held an optional skate in the morning, but all but two players chose to participate. Only Tim Thomas and Mark Recchi didn't skate. With Thomas resting and Tuukka Rask getting in some extra work, it looks like Thomas will get the start again in this one in a marquee goalie matchup with Ryan Miller.
The game also marks the return of defenseman Steve Montador to Boston. Montador only played briefly with the Bruins, but he came away impressed with the city and its fans in his time in Boston.
For a full breakdown of this matchup, check out our Facing Off feature.
8 a.m.: The Bruins limp back from Toronto thoroughly chastised by the coaching staff for their poor effort against the Leafs on Saturday.
The fact that Boston nearly escaped with a win despite their sloppy play just shows how well Tim Thomas has been playing, as he nearly stole two points with his spectacular saves before having to settle for one point in a shootout loss.
But Buffalo comes in with Ryan Miller having posted two straight shutouts, so even with as great as Thomas has been this year, the Bruins can't assume they'll have the goaltending advantage in this one.
The Bruins are also just 5-5-2 at home, while Buffalo sports a 6-5-2 record on the road. Both teams have earned 12 points in their last 10 games, so this one is a much more even matchup than their overall records may indicate, as the Sabres have snapped out of their early-season funk and will be looking to continue to make up ground in the East.
The puck drops a little later than usual at 7:30 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
