BOSTON – Patrice Bergeron and Tim Schaller scored second-period goals Saturday to help the Boston Bruins beat Buffalo 3-1 and complete a sweep of home-and-home games against the Sabres.
The victory also gave Boston a sweep of its four-game season series against the Sabres. Buffalo was the only team the Bruins had never swept during a regular season. Buffalo lost 4-2 at home to Boston on Thursday.
Frank Vatrano scored the other goal for Boston, which had lost five of its previous nine games but improved to 12-1-2 in the last 15 meetings against the Sabres. Tuukka Rask stopped 26 shots.
Jack Eichel, a former Boston University star and Hobey Baker winner, scored for Buffalo. Robin Lehner made 25 saves. It was the ninth loss in 11 games for the Sabres (2-5-4).
Leading 1-0, Bergeron one-timed Ryan Spooner's pass by Lehner from the right circle for a power-play goal 7:04 into the period. Schaller scored 2:25 later when he came charging down the right wing and fired a backhander that slipped into the net between Lehner's body and the near post.
Eichel scored his seventh goal with 21.2 seconds left in the second when he one-timed a shot from the right circle. Vatrano slipped a wrister inside the left post 1:28 into the game.
Lehner kept it to one goal in the opening period with a couple of nice stops. His best was when he flashed his right pad to rob Schaller, who was alone at the edge of the crease.
NOTES: The Bruins honored Denna Laing, a former women's professional hockey player who suffered a career-ending spinal injury when she crashed into boards at Gillette Stadium the day before the 2016 NHL Winter Classic. Laing, 25, came onto the ice in her wheel chair and dropped the ceremonial first puck. She was given a standing ovation and got a hug from Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. . Boston also hung the jerseys of James Lavin and Owen Higgins on the glass behind their bench during pregame warmups. The 17-year-olds — high school hockey teammates from Falmouth, Mass. — were killed in a car accident in December coming home from practice. . The Bruins announced during the game that F David Backes was out "indefinitely" because of a concussion from a hit Thursday.
UP NEXT
Sabres: Face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday is the second of a three-game road trip.
Bruins: At New Jersey on Monday in the first of five of six on the road.
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