Recap: Bruins top Sabres, 4-1, Krejci hits 700+ career points

Two power-play goals and a three-point night from David Krejci boosted the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres tonight.

The first period was pretty good, but not great for the Bruins, despite taking an early lead. Matt Grzelcyk had a strong showing and was impactful on the ice, as he’s been the past several games. He had good puck movement behind Jaroslav Halak while also creating offensive opportunities.

The Bruins opened the scoring at 2:56 in the first period. Grzelcyk intercepted an attempt by Carter Hutton to get the puck out of the zone. Grzelcyk sent a shot towards the net where Greg McKegg got his stick on the puck to put it past Hutton’s glove. 1-0 Bruins.

The Bruins outshot the Sabres 11-7 in the period, but the Bs made the Sabres look like a better team than they are right now.

“I don’t think either team had a great first period,” Bruce Cassidy said. “I think we got going after the shorty and guys got dialed in to playing our way.”

The Sabres got going fast to start the second period and tied the game with a shorthanded goal at 1:54 in the second frame. Jacob Bryson hit Kyle Okposo with a pass in the neutral zone. Okposo carried it up the right side against Grzelcyk, where his shot deflected off Grzelcyk’s stick and over Jaroslav Halak’s glove. 1-1.

The Bruins took the lead with a power-play goal at 9:15 in the second period. Jake DeBrusk batted down a shot by David Pastrnak which went through Hutton’s five-hole. David Krejci registered his 700^th career point on the goal with a secondary assist. 2-1 Bruins.

Craig Smith was all around the puck throughout the first 40 minutes. He had a close call in the second period when he hit the post and it just seemed like he was bound to put one in.

So it was fitting that Smith gave the Bruins a two-goal lead at 18:36 in the second period. Krejci set Smith up in the slot for a wrister over Hutton’s stick. 3-1 Bruins.

The Bruins cushioned their score with a 5-on-3, power-play goal at 4:44 in the third period. Krejci hit Pastrnak at the left face-off dot for a one-timer that flew through the hole of Hutton’s arm and bounced back out. 4-1 Bruins.

The Bruins power play looked better tonight, as the first PP unit had more quality shots on net.

Yes, the win was against the struggling Sabres, but there was a collective effort from the Bruins roster to come away with a much-needed two points.

Notables:

• Krejci collected his 700th career point on DeBrusk’s goal
• Pastrnak and Grzelcyk are now on three-game point streaks
• Pastrnak leads the team with six power-play goals
• Jack Ahcan made his NHL debut with three shots on net and 17:55 minutes on ice
• Trent Frederic left the game with a lower-body injury

The Bruins return to action for their second game against the Sabres on Saturday at 1 pm. See you then!