The Bruins may or may not have gotten everything on their Christmas list, but they at least got a little of their mojo back on Wednesday.
Coming out of the three-day holiday break riding a four-game losing streak, the B’s put on a special teams clinic to knock off the Sabres in Buffalo, 4-1.
The B’s went 3-for-4 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill to notch their first regulation win in seven games, dating to Dec. 9.
Charlie Coyle led the way with a pair of power-play goals, wiht Jake DeBrusk getting both primary assists. Brad Marchand also picked up a couple of helpers.
“Our game wasn’t at where we’d been playing for the most part this year, so we wanted to reset, come back and start building our game again in this second part of the season,” Coyle told TNT. “That was a pretty good effort for the most part.”
Jeremy Swayman (25 saves) snapped a three-game personal losing streak (0-1-2) in which his teammates managed a single goal in each of the three losses. But he got support on Wednesday, early and often. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm, meanwhile, turned in one of his best defensive performances of the year with a team-high 6:24 of shorthanded time with four blocks. Rookie Mason Lohrei also had four blocks as well as the first goal of the game.
The Sabres learned that they would not have the services of star forward Tage Thompson (personal reasons) prior to the game, and they never really got in the game all night.
The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the first period in which their compete level on each puck battle was greatly improved over the previous two losses in Minnesota and Winnipeg.
Lohrei staked the B’s to the 1-0 advantage at 4:19 on a nice play by the rookie defenseman. Danton Heinen forced Zach Benson turnover just outside the Buffalo zone. The puck went right to Lohrei, who made a smart, short pass to Trent Frederic at the blue line and headed for the net. Frederic fed James van Riemsdyk for a one-timer that Devon Levi stopped but the goalie left the rebound right there for Lohrei, who potted his third of the year.
The B’s could have lost control of the period when Brad Marchand was called for an extremely bad crosschcking penalty – the captain knocked Dylan Cozens down with a legal forearm, not a crosscheck – and then Marchand was given an extra two for arguing too vociferously.
But the B’s came up with the huge kill and then the B’s got a power play when Peyton Krebs tripped Morgan Geekie. On the advantage, Jake DeBrusk fed Coyle in front and the centerman roofed it at 13:42. It was Coyle’s 11th of the year and snapped a six-game pointless streak. It was a pretty pass from DeBrusk.
“I thought Jake was our best forward tonight, his habits, I thought his speed was noticeable in checking, hanging on to pucks and making real good decisions,” coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in Buffalo. “It makes a big difference when he’s the player that we know he can be.”
Extending leads had been an issue for the B’s, but not on Wednesday, as the B’s made it 3-0 early in the second period on another power play, courtesy of a very suspect slashing penalty on Jeff Skinner.
Coyle’s first goal was a pretty one, but his second was fortunate. David Pastrnak just missed DeBrusk with a pass that would have sent DeBrusk in alone. DeBrusk chased it down behind the net and fed Coyle at the bottom of the right circle. Coyle was trying to make some kind of of a pass, but it went off Erik Johnson’s skate and past Levi at 4:18.
“I wouldn’t call it a beauty, but it was definitely a bank shot and it was unintentional. Of course you take those,” said Coyle. “It was off some good entries and I think Jake DeBrusk finding me and putting it right on my stick.” Buffalo nearly got on the board shortly after that when Jeremy Swayman made a save on a long distance shot, but the rebound went airborne and behind the goalie. With the puck destined to go over the goal line, Charlie McAvoy swooped in and backhanded it away, out of danger.
Then Morgan Geekie made it 4-0 at 13:44 with the B’s third power-play goal of the night, banking his sixth of the year off Levi at the side of the net.
The Sabres had their chances to start a comeback late in the second period when a parade to the penalty box (with the B’s taking three of the four penalties called in a span of 1:18) yielded abbreviated 5-on-3 and 4-on-3 chances for Buffalo, but they could do nothing with them.
Swayman lost his shutout bid at 5:11 of the third when the veteran Johnson blasted a slapper home from the right circle.
