National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Buffalo 4, Boston 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 20, 2011
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Frederic L'Ecuyer, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Pierre Champoux, Brian Mach
Attendance: 17565

Thomas Vanek scored at 5:13 of the third period to snap a tie and lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-2 road victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Cody McCormick, Nathan Gerbe and Jason Pominville also tallied, Tyler Ennis notched a pair of assists and Ryan Miller made 38 saves for the Sabres, who have won five of seven overall and four of six on the road.

Less than 5 1/2 minutes into the third, Vanek carried the puck down the right wing and unleashed a shot from the faceoff circle that got past Tuukka Rask for a 3-2 edge. Pominville created some breathing room with 3:20 to play, netting his 10th of the season when a pass from Vanek caromed off his leg and into the net.

Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg gave Boston the lead midway through the first period, but McCormick knotted the game just 1:04 into the second with his seventh goal of the season.

The teams traded tallies later in the session to keep the contest even after 40 minutes. Gregory Campbell beat Ryan Miller at 4:51 to put the Bruins ahead before Gerbe converted a power-play opportunity with 9:24 remaining.

Rask stopped 29 shots for the Bruins, who had won five straight at home against the Sabres.

Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Boston
Thomas Vanek 2 Points Gregory Campbell 1
Thomas Vanek 1 Goals Gregory Campbell 1
Tyler Ennis 2 Assists Marc Savard 1
Nathan Gerbe 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Ryan Miller .950 Save Percentage Tuukka Rask .879
Ryan Miller 38 Saves Tuukka Rask 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 33 4 1-3 4-4 8 21
Boston 40 2 0-4 2-3 6 32
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Colorado. The Bruins have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Sabres have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .560 after a loss.