Late goals help Bruins get past struggling Sabres

Field Level Media|published: Sat 21st December, 22:02 2024

Dec 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender James Reimer (47) makes a save before Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) stuffs in the rebound for a goal during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Morgan Geekie scored a power-play goal with 1:45 remaining in regulation to propel the Boston Bruins past the visiting Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Saturday night.

Boston drew a late power play as Sam Lafferty tripped newcomer Oliver Wahlstrom with 3:45 to go, and after Buffalo goaltender James Reimer made a point-blank save on Geekie's initial shot from the slot, he one-timed a centering pass from David Pastrnak as the man advantage ended.

Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand also scored goals, and Pastrnak finished with two assists to help Boston run its point streak to four games (3-0-1).

Marchand scored in an empty net with 51.5 ticks left.

Joonas Korpisalo made 19 saves -- including eight in each of the first two periods for the Bruins, who were coming off a five-game Western Conference road trip.

JJ Peterka scored the lone goal for Buffalo, which is on a 13-game winless streak (0-10-3). It was his second in as many games and sixth point in the last five.

Reimer finished with 16 stops.

Buffalo had a 20-19 advantage in shots. Both teams went 1-for-3 on the power play.

After going scoreless across Boston's recent five-game trip, Coyle converted on a breakaway coming out of the penalty box to open the scoring at 8:15. Nikita Zadorov sent a long feed to Coyle, who came down the slot to whack the puck free from under Reimer's pads and across the goal line after falling to the ice.

Korpisalo was especially sharp in the first period to help the hosts maintain their 1-0 lead, making his best save on Nicolas Aube-Kubel's tip a few minutes before the Coyle goal. Buffalo finished the frame with an 8-6 shot advantage.

With 1:37 left in the middle period and past the halfway point of a power play, though, the Sabres found the tying goal as Peterka snapped off a shot from the slot that snuck under Korpisalo's blocker and trickled home.

Geekie appeared to put Boston back in front with a wrist shot goal off the rush with 12:47 left, but Buffalo successfully challenged for offsides.

Buffalo played without defenseman and team captain Rasmus Dahlin, who missed seven games due to back spasms before returning to the lineup on Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

--Field Level Media

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