 following a season-high four-game skid.Rask’s night included a candidate for save of the year. The 2013-14 Vezina Trophy winner wowed the crowd with a diving blocker save across a vacant net on Evan Rodrigues’ shot with Buffalo trailing 3-1 in the third period.“I don’t think I’ve ever made a save like that,” Rask said. “It could be (the save of the year). I don’t often make highlights like that too often like that because I try to be in position to make saves. It’s fun to make a save like that.”Rasmus Ristolainen and Brandon Montour each scored and Linus Ullmark had 24 saves for the Sabres. Buffalo has dropped nine of 10 (1-7-2) after winning nine of its first 12 games.“We played a little better but it’s another loss,” Montour said. “We’ve got to start winning some hockey games.”Bruins star center Patrice Bergeron had an assist in his return after missing two games with a lower body injury.Marchand’s second of the game came on a power play with 5:15 left in the second period to put Boston up 2-1. Matt Grzelcyk skated into the slot and fired a wrist shot that bounced right to Marchand, who threw the puck in under Ullmark.Pastrnak spoke glowingly of Marchand.“He’s so smart and he’s been playing really well for us. Just an unbelievable player,” Pastrnak said. “I have a huge respect for him, the way he has become the player he is today. … He’s one of the best players in the NHL right now.”Pastrnak’s second-chance, power-play strike made it 3-1 two minutes into the third. Rask helped seal the win with his save on Rodrigues at 4:51.“It’s arguably the save of the year,” Rodrigues said. “You just tip your hat and move on. That was something else.”Montour’s one-timer from the top of the left circle brought the Sabres to 3-2 with 7:02 remaining.Buffalo led 1-0 after Ristolainen scored his first of the season on a rebound of Jack Eichel’s shot from the left circle 5:25 into the game.The Sabres pelted Rask with 13 shots to open the game before Brandon Carlo logged the Bruins’ first shot with 7:49 left in the first.Boston tied it on its second shot after Marchand tipped in Zdeno Chara’s shot from the blue line with 6:08 to play in the first.“We’re lucky that we got out of there tied and not behind by five, so good thing we did have Tuuks there that first period,” Marchand said.Buffalo finished the first with a 17-4 advantage on shots, but was outshot 20-19 after that.“We played as good a first period as we could play and dominated in every, every area of the game, except the score,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. “The guys deserved more from that.”NOTES: Boston remained the only NHL team without a regulation home loss this season at 8-0-4. ... Bruins C Par Lindholm exited after being taken down by Rasmus Asplund while fighting for a loose puck early in the first period, but returned in the second. ... Boston RW Brett Ritchie sat out with a recurrence of an infection. ... Boston D Torey Krug (upper body) missed his fifth straight game, but participated in an optional skate Thursday and hopes to return Saturday. ... Sabres LW Johan Larsson was back in the lineup after a three-game absence with an upper-body injury. ... Bruins trainer Don DelNegro worked his 2,000th NHL game in his 27th season. DelNegro was honored with a video tribute and an ovation midway through the first period.UP NEXTSabres: At Florida on Sunday night.Bruins: Host Minnesota on Saturday night.---More NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
This time last month, the Boston Bruins were surging, though they were still looking up at one team in the Atlantic Division standings: the Buffalo Sabres.What a difference a month makes.The Sabres are in a tailspin, having lost eight of their last nine games (1-6-2). They'll look to right the ship Thursday as they visit the division-leading Bruins for the first of four meetings between the teams this season.Buffalo, having just finished a three-games-in-four-days stretch with a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, will kick off a three-game road trip that also includes stops at the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Boston, meanwhile, is returning home after beating the New Jersey Devils 5-1 Tuesday.The Sabres began the season 9-2-1, but injuries and ineffective goaltending have since derailed the club.Against the Wild on Tuesday, captain Jack Eichel attempted to spark his teammates by dropping the gloves against Minnesota forward Joel Eriksson Ek, ultimately receiving a four-minute double minor for roughing after going unengaged."Listen, we're all in this together," Eichel said. "No one's feeling sorry for us. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. It's frustrating, the position that we're in. But it's just going to test our character right now and our will to compete on a nightly basis and just our will to win." Eichel's effort wasn't lost on coach Ralph Krueger, who praised the moment as a "sign of leadership." Knowing his team needs to shake things up, Krueger experimented with different lines at practice Wednesday, shifting Jimmy Vesey to the wing alongside Eichel and Sam Reinhart."We have a feeling that his work has been strong, and a goal will explode him into a stronger secondary scoring position," Krueger said of Vesey. "Whether that will be the line tomorrow or not, we'll see, but it's just an option we have." Another option the Sabres might have is forward Johan Larsson, who was back at practice Wednesday after missing the past three games with an upper-body injury. Larsson's return would be welcome for a Buffalo squad that has put three players on injured reserve this month.A return that would be a huge boost for the Bruins would be that of top-line center Patrice Bergeron, who is expected to be ready to go Thursday after missing two games with a lower-body injury."I'm feeling better. It's progressing well," Bergeron said Wednesday. "Today was a pretty good skate, so I'm feeling good." Defenseman Torey Krug (upper body) also skated Wednesday, though Krug isn't expected back until the weekend.Also hampered by injuries of late, Boston has endured its first slump of the season. Its win Tuesday was just its second over a seven-game stretch (2-2-3), with three of the five losses in that span coming via shootout.Consistent for the club has been the play of forward David Pastrnak, whose two goals in the win over the Devils ran his league-leading total to 19.Last season, the Bruins won three of four meetings with the Sabres, though their lone defeat came 4-2 at home in December.--Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Buffalo Sabres
Boston Bruins
Pick Center
NHL
FINAL (11/21/2019)
EnterTheMatrix888
