National Hockey League
Buffalo 4, Boston 1
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 25, 2018
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Francis Charron, Dave Jackson
Linesmen: Kory Nagy, Tony Sericolo
Attendance: 18522
Rick Nash's debut with his new team didn't go as expected.

After the New York Rangers traded Nash to the Bruins on Sunday morning, the left winger was stymied by goalie Chad Johnson as the Buffalo Sabres earned an easy 4-1 victory against Boston on Sunday evening at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Johnson made 34 saves and the Sabres got goals from Benoit Pouliot (12th of the season), Kyle Okposo (11th), Evan Rodrigues (fifth) and Marco Scandella (fourth) as the Sabres earned their third victory against the Bruins this season.

Charlie McAvoy (six) scored the lone goal for Boston and Anton Khudobin had 20 stops. The Bruins dropped their second straight, having lost 4-3 at Toronto on Saturday, to finish their road trip at 2-3-0.

Buffalo also beat Boston on Oct. 21 (5-4 in overtime) and Feb. 10 (4-2) and lost to the Bruins on Dec. 19 (3-0).

Buffalo led 2-0 after one period Sunday thanks to goals from Pouliot (at 14:26) and Okposo (16:31).

McAvoy trimmed the lead to 2-1 with his goal 3:35 into the second, but Rodrigues restored the two-goal margin at 7:50 of the middle period.

Scandella put the game away with a goal 3:22 into the third period.

Nash nearly had his first goal as a Bruin in the second period, but his shot clanged off the post.

Nash made the trip upstate from New York City after the trade was finalized earlier Sunday. The seven-time All-Star left winger fetched a hefty haul of Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, prospect Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 first-round draft pick and a 2019 seventh-rounder.

Boston also added veteran free agent right winger Brian Gionta on a one-year, $700,000 contract, a clear sign the Bruins are going all in on their pursuit of their first Stanley Cup title since 2011.

The Bruins sit in third place in the Atlantic Division, five points behind the conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

After completing the five-game road trip, Boston heads back home for five straight at TD Garden starting with a Tuesday game against Carolina. Buffalo opens a quick two-game trip Wednesday against Tampa Bay.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Buffalo
Charlie McAvoy 1 Points Evan Rodrigues 2
Charlie McAvoy 1 Goals Evan Rodrigues 1
Brad Marchand 1 Assists Victor Antipin 2
N/A Power Play Goals Kyle Okposo 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Anton Khudobin .833 Save Percentage Chad Johnson .971
Anton Khudobin 20 Saves Chad Johnson 34
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Boston 35 1 0-4 4-5 10 28
Buffalo 24 4 1-5 4-4 8 36
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Sabres have a W/L % of .222 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Bruins have a W/L % of .568 after a win and .696 after a loss.