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For the Buffalo Sabres, the best revenge (if you want to call it that) for the now infamous hit on Ryan Miller wouldn't be a fight with Boston's Milan Lucic, the main culprit in the incident that went unanswered by the Sabres, but rather a proverbial punch to the mean mugs of the B's on the scoreboard. And for a little over 20 minutes, it appeared that Buffalo was going to get their way at First Niagara Center.
Getting the score settled early in the first when Paul Gaustad lined up on Lucic's wing and dropped the mitts in a spirited bout, it was a first that was all Buffalo. Scoring two first period tallies behind power-play markers from Christian Ehrhoff and Thomas Vanek to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play, the Bruins would counter with a power-play tally of their own when a Tyler Seguin one-time cannon from the point beat Jhonas Enroth to cut the B's deficit to just one.
However, when a Derek Roy shot went off the skate of Joe Corvo and onto the stick of the recently recalled T.J Brennan who rifled home his first career goal, pushing the Buffalo edge back to two.
Setting the tone for the tide-turning on Buffalo's rink, Boston agitator Brad Marchand responded to a Vanek hit on his 5-foot-8 frame by getting up, getting to the net, and roofing his seventh of the season off an Enroth rebound.
Erasing the one-goal deficit they left the ice with by way of a Zdeno Chara power-play goal just three minutes into the third period, the next 17 minutes of hockey provided the sellout crowd with a playoff-like atmosphere aided by dazzling saves from the veteran Tim Thomas and 23-year-old Enroth. When sixty minutes wasn't enough for the sides to settle their difference -- and following a successful penalty kill by the shorthanded B's -- it was on to a shootout with the division lead on the line.
And when four and a half rounds of a shootout saw the masked men deny everyone and everything, a rare turn to B's bottom-sixer Benoit Pouliot made Boston's Claude Julien look like a genius en route to the Bruins' tenth straight victory.
Heading to Thanksgiving with first place in their hands, and now tied for the most wins in the NHL -- but the only team in the Eastern Conference with 13 wins -- Boston's ten-win run is the teams best since their 2008-09 run that ended on Jan. 1, '09.
By the numbers
234:12 - Thomas' road shutout streak that was snapped with Ehrhoff's tally.
9 - Total shots from the Boston top-line on the night. They had no goals to show for their efforts, while Lucic was held to a grand total of zero shots on goal on the night.
1 - Shootout losses in Enroth's career after tonight.
Ty's Take
They probably won't be satisfied with the loser point, but the Buffalo Sabres answered the bell tonight in all three zones. None of Boston's goals came easy, and no Sabre showed any signs of fearing the inevitable body-banging from the Bruins. In short, they came to play. Notably, Sabres' rookie Corey Tropp was a beast. The 22-year-old Tropp was a fearless shot-blocker, and finished his hits no matter how big or how small the Boston skater was. Those are the kind of players you'll take on your team everyday of the week.
And for Boston, how about Big Z? The towering Boston captain is on a near point-per-game pace in 2011-12 -- adding his third goal and 15th point of the season in the victory -- but is also playing some of the best defense we've ever seen out of him throughout his tenure in the Hub. The desire to win is still there for the 34-year-old blue-liner, even with a Cup on his resume.
Up next?
Boston returns from their three-game road-swing for a Black Friday matinee match-up with the Detroit Red Wings. The B's lost both of their 2010-11 games against the Wings, and both teams come into the nationally televised contest riding winning streaks: The Bruins' at 10 and the Detroit run at three straight.
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