Recap: Bruins recover to roll over Buffalo, 5-1

Well folks, it didn’t look so good at first, but it ultimately turned out OK: the Bruins spotted the Sabres a goal, then scored five in a row in head into Thanksgiving with a 5-1 win.

Kyle Okposo got things started for Buffalo after the Bruins failed to score on an odd-man rush, making it 1-0 Buffalo.

The lead wouldn’t last too long, with Patrice Bergeron cleaning up a rebound to make it a 1-1 game.

Charlie Coyle decides to get in on the fun, making it 2-1 Bruins.

Speaking of fun, here’s a guy who loves to score: David Pastrnak makes it 3-1 Bruins. Three goals in three and a half minutes for the Bruins.

What’s better than three goals? Four goals! Mike Reilly makes it 4-1 Bruins, with the B’s scoring all four goals in just over five minutes of game time. That’s pretty good.

Buffalo had a chance to climb back in it midway through the second when John Hayden was awarded a penalty shot, but birthday boy Jeremy Swayman shut him down.

Late in the third, we had the lone dark cloud of the night, as Charlie McAvoy left the game after this hit from Zemgus Girgensons.

Girgensons would get a major penalty, and Buffalo’s favorite son cashed in: Taylor Hall made it 5-1 Bruins.

And that was that! A solid win heading into the holiday.

Game notes

• Overall, a good response game from the Bruins after the disappointing effort against Calgary. The B’s didn’t start great, but it’s encouraging to see the team kind of steady itself, shake off the cobwebs, and then run right over an inferior opponent.
• Obviously the McAvoy situation is concerning, as any time a guy goes down holding his head, it’s not a good sign. Ultimately, you have to hope McAvoy just got a cut (easy for me to say, of course) and not a more significant head injury.
• While he wasn’t tested a ton, it was a good game for Swayman, who jumped into the fray on short notice. It wasn’t exactly overtime in the playoffs, but that penalty shot save was a good one in a pressure situation.
• Jakub Zboril had another strong night, particularly in the lead-up to Reilly’s goal. Barring a complete implosion, Connor Clifton might be in the press box for a bit.
• Nice to see Hall, who was booed by Sabres fans over the course of the night, score a “salt in the wound” goal at the end of the game.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow if you’re celebrating!

If not, well...happy Thursday!