Marat Khusnutdinov notched his first goal of the season in an overtime winner to propel the Boston Bruins past the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Thursday night.
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The Sabres were on the verge of a comeback after tallying two goals in the third period. The penalty kill also thwarted a penalty that transcended into overtime. But a crucial slip from captain Rasmus Dahlin led to a 3-on-1 odd-man rush as Khusnutdinov drilled the go-ahead goal.
Game Recap
The Sabres, who were dormant to start their last game, utilized the dump-and-chase technique to earn scoring chances in the opening minutes. Defenseman Bowen Byram fired a shot that went wide before unleashing the first shot on goal of the night. Left winger Jason Zucker then snapped one from the top of the left faceoff circle, followed by a backhander, but goalie Joonas Korpisalo denied his attempts.
Left winger Zach Benson found himself in a 4-on-1 situation, yet with the numbers game on their side, he missed his shot from the side in a possession where they made no pass. The referees then called Josh Dunne for a slashing call to hand the Bruins their first power play of the night. Charles McAvoy’s shot went wide due to a deflection, while Morgan Geekie almost had an opening but lost control of the puck. Buffalo killed their first penalty.
Boston started to apply pressure as the first frame went on, as Geekie rushed in on a breakaway, outpowering Michael Kesselring, but Alex Lyon made a save on his attempt. Alternate captain Tage Thompson tried to respond as he attempted a wrap-around. Then, Dahlin got called for tripping, rewarding the Bruins with their second opportunity on the man advantage.
Elias Lindholm unleashed a shot, which Casey Middlestadt tipped, but it hit the post. Geekie, on a trailer, delivered the first goal of the night, sending the puck through the top left corner, 1-0. Pastrnak extended Boston’s lead after drilling a rebound on a 2-on-1 situation, 2-0. Khusnutidnov went to the penalty box for hooking as the Sabres played their first power play opportunity for the night. Thompson almost found an opportunity in the middle of the slot, but the pass did not connect.Â
Buffalo obtained another crack at a power play after David Pastrnak committed a penalty. The Sabres let shots go from all cylinders, but the net front defense proved to be insurmountable. Dahlin finally answered after flicking a shot from the high slot to cut the Sabres’ deficit to one, 2-1. To end the period, Mark Kastelic found the back of the net after tipping in a Tanner Jeannot rebound as the Bruins built a 3-1 lead.
The Sabres continued to pepper Korpisalo, piling on their shots on goal tally. Their offense finally broke through as Josh Doan’s goal inched Buffalo closer after seizing the puck from midair to hammer a shot, 3-2. Alex Tuch drilled the equalizer from Dahlin’s feed with Doan muscling his way for a screen. The referees deemed Doan’s contact as legal, denying Boston’s coach’s challenge.Â
The referees then gave the Bruins a critical power play in the last minute of regulation for Jordan Greenway’s tripping penalty. Lyon made a timely save on a Viktor Arvidsson one-timer to send the game into overtime. Mattias Samuelsson knocked a puck that slid past Lyon’s guard, but a mishap from Dahlin cost the Sabres possession on the way to Khusnutdinov scoring the overtime winner, 4-3.
What’s Next?
The Sabres will travel home for a three-game homestand before taking on the Carolina Hurricanes, as they look to snap their winless slate on the road. On the other hand, the Bruins, who have won the last three games out of four, will also host the Hurricanes on Saturday.
