National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 4, Buffalo 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 21, 2013
Where: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Don VanMassenhoven
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 17565

Bruins 4, Sabres 1: Reilly Smith scored twice as Boston recorded its seventh consecutive victory at TD Garden to salvage the finale of its home-and-home series with Buffalo.

Milan Lucic netted his team-leading 12th goal, David Krejci notched a tally and an assist and Tuukka Rask turned aside 34 shots as the Bruins improved to 12-0-2 in their last 14 contests at home.

Zemgus Girgensons scored and Jhonas Enroth finished with 35 saves as his personal winless streak reached seven starts (0-5-2) for the Sabres, who posted a 4-2 home victory over Boston on Thursday.

Jarome Iginla skated up the right wing before feeding Krejci, who gained a step on Girgensons before wristing a shot under the crossbar at 1:47 of the second period to give Boston a 2-1 lead. Lucic doubled the advantage 5:18 into the third by scoring from the slot before Smith capped his two-goal performance with an empty-net tally.

Boston opened the scoring midway through the first period as Carl Soderberg skated in from behind the end line before sliding the puck to Smith, who scored from the doorstep. Girgensons forged a tie with 1:06 remaining in the session, lifting the rebound of Matt Moulson's bid from the doorstep behind Rask.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Boston C Patrice Bergeron engaged in his first career NHL fight, tangling with Buffalo D Tyler Meyers in the second period. ... Sabres LW Linus Omark had one shot on goal while logging nearly 13 minutes of ice time in his first game since being acquired from Edmonton on Thursday for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft. ... Buffalo was attempting to win three in a row for the first time since April 13-17.
Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Boston
Zemgus Girgensons 1 Points Reilly Smith 2
Zemgus Girgensons 1 Goals Reilly Smith 2
Matt Moulson 1 Assists David Krejci 1
N/A Power Play Goals Reilly Smith 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jhonas Enroth .921 Save Percentage Tuukka Rask .971
Jhonas Enroth 35 Saves Tuukka Rask 34
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 35 1 0-6 2-3 11 27
Boston 39 4 1-3 6-6 17 43
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Nashville. The Bruins have a W/L % of .583 after a win and .833 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Sabres have a W/L % of .222 after a win and .259 after a loss.