Second-period surge sends Sabres past Bruins

Field Level Media|published: Thu 7th December, 21:48 2023

Dec 7, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) makes a save in front of Boston Bruins center Trent Frederic (11) and defenseman Henri Jokiharju (10) during the first period at TD Garden. credits: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Sabres opened the scoring with two second-period goals and never looked back en route to a 3-1 win over the host Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

JJ Peterka and Tage Thompson scored back-to-back goals to give Buffalo a lead that it would never relinquish, and Buffalo's Victor Olofsson rounded out the scoring in the third period.

Sabres goalie Devon Levi made 28 saves for his first win since Nov. 10. He was recalled from AHL Rochester earlier in the week.

Levi played collegiate hockey at nearby Northeastern University in Boston, winning the Beanpot championship last February on the TD Garden ice.

Brad Marchand scored for Boston in the second period. He has collected the Bruins' past five goals over a three-game span, including the overtime winner against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and a hat trick in a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Jackets on Sunday.

Linus Ullmark stopped 33 shots for the Bruins, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.

Peterka got the scoring going 1:18 into the second period, firing a wrister through traffic from the left side immediately after Dylan Cozens won the faceoff.

Levi made 10 saves in the middle frame as the hosts began to find their game. He stopped a Marchand point-blank chance in the slot inside the final five minutes.

Buffalo doubled its lead with 3:03 left before the second intermission. Thompson buried a wrister after former Bruin Connor Clifton picked up a puck turned over along the wall and dished a perfect pass into the slot.

Marchand got the Bruins on the board less than a minute later, taking a shot from the right side that deflected past Levi off a defender in front.

After Levi held his ground during a net-mouth scramble at one end, Olofsson rushed down ice on an odd-man rush and extended Buffalo's lead to 3-1 at 11:16 of the third.

The Sabres had a 19-5 shot advantage in a scoreless first period.

At 14:42 of the opening period, Buffalo's Eric Robinson knocked home the puck on a scramble in front — a play that was first waved off, then deemed a goal following video review before a successful Boston coach's challenge ultimately took it off the board.

—Field Level Media