Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Zdeno Chara tallied a goal and an assist, as
Boston halted a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory against Buffalo at
TD Garden.
Marco Sturm, Mark Recchi and Byron Bitz also found the back of the net for
Boston, which had been outscored 5-1 over its skid -- including back-to-back
shutouts at the hands of the Rangers and Red Wings.
Tuukka Rask faced 30 shots and allowed two by him in the win, which saw Steve
Begin pick up two assists.
Derek Roy and Jason Pominville scored for the Sabres, who have lost back-to-
back games following a 5-1-0 stretch. Jhonas Enroth received his first NHL
start and was beaten four times on 37 shots.
"Our game has lacked energy the last three games," Sabres head coach Lindy
Ruff remarked. "We've dealt with some sickness. We're going to back off. We're
going to get the guys some rest. We know how hard we've worked in the first
ten games. We know what type of team we can be. We haven't been that the last
three games."
A pair of power-play goals had Boston ahead 2-0 after 20 minutes. Recchi
tipped down a Derek Morris shot from high in the right circle that skipped
along the ice and past Enroth at 3:17.
Chara then cranked a one-timer on net from deep at the top of the slot
through a Recchi screen to make it a two-goal game with 3:29 left in the
period.
It was a 3-0 game just 1:22 into the second as Begin intercepted a clearing
attempt and spun a backhand pass in close to Bitz, who deked Enroth to the ice
and slid the puck into a wide open net.
Roy rifled a loose puck in the slot past Rask 1:25 later to get Buffalo on the
board.
But with 1:29 to go in the period, Sturm took a pass from Patrice Bergeron in
the left circle, wheeled and fired past Enroth for a 4-1 game.
Some late fisticuffs produced a Sabres power play and they used the open ice
to scratch out a second goal, but with only 1:48 left to play, as Tyler Myers
set up Pominville for a bang-bang score at the left side of the net.