Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres fell behind early to the Boston Bruins and were not able to recover. In fact, the Sabres were never able to put a puck past Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman in a 7-0 loss on Sunday afternoon at KeyBank Center.
The Bruins struck first, just 15 seconds into the game to open up a 1-0 lead on Buffalo. Brad Marchand made a pass from below the goal line into the slot, and Patrice Bergeron slammed the puck into an open net. The goal was Bergeron's 26th of the season.
Garnet Hathaway doubled Boston's lead nearly halfway through the opening frame with a wrist shot that beat Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Hathaway's 11th goal of the year made the score 2-0. Jake DeBrusk added to the lead, making the score 3-0 with a goal just minutes later.
Boston had a goal reversed early in the second period when Tyler Bertuzzi had put the puck into the net with the help of a kicking motion.
However, the Bruins were able to capitalize a few minutes later to balloon their lead to 4-0. Hampus Lindholm's one-timer, thanks to a DeBrusk pass, extended the lead to four.
Dylan Cozens and Trent Fredric dropped the gloves and fought late in the second period after they came together in the Sabres' zone. Both players were assessed fighting majors as a result.
The Bruins took advantage of a power play opportunity in the third period to increase their lead over Bufflao to five goals, 5-0. David Pastrnak scored his 48th goal of the year.
Just about a minute later, Charlie Coyle scored to up the lead to 6-0.
Charlie McAvoy added his second point of the game with a goal late in the third period. His score with two minutes remaining in regulation extended Boston's lead to 7-0 over the Sabres.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
BOS: 0:15 - Patrice Bergeron (26) (Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk); 9:01 - Garnet Hathaway (11) (Jakub Zboril, Connor Clifton); 11:40 - Jake DeBrusk (22) (Charlie Coyle, Connor Clifton)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
BOS: 7:48 - Hampus Lindholm (10) (Jake DeBrusk, Patrice Bergeron)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
BOS: 10:37 - David Pastrnak (48) PPG (Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand); 11:33 - Charlie Coyle (13) (Trent Fredric, Charlie McAvoy); 17:59 - Charlie McAvoy (6) (Tyler Bertuzzi, Jake DeBrusk)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 9:35 - Kyle Okposo (Roughing - 2 min.)
BOS: 9:35 - Tomas Nosek (Roughing - 2 min.); 13:05 - Garnet Hathaway (Slashing - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 9:04 - Riley Stillman (Interference - 2 min.); 13:26 - Dylan Cozens (Fighting - 5 min.)
BOS: 13:26 - Trent Fredric (Fighting - 5 min.); 13:37 - Pavel Zacha (Interference - 2 min.); 18:45 - Jakub Zboril (Slashing - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 10:13 - Tage Thompson (Roughing - 2 min.)
BOS: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jake DeBrusk - BOS
2.) Patrice Bergeron - BOS
3.) Jeremy Swayman - BOS
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What next:
The Sabres will remain home to welcome the Nashville Predators for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center. Pregame coverage on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550 - starts at 6 p.m. ET with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.