BOSTON, Mass – After a strange game which saw two of the best defensive clubs give up a combined eight goals in Game Two, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller and Boston’s Tuukka Rask competed in another goaltending duel. This time it would be the Bruins who would emerge the winners in a game contested nearly down to the final whistle.
Buffalo outshot the Bruins for the first time in the series, but the Bruins connected on two of their shots to pull ahead in the series two games to one. The key play of the game occurred when Bruins forward Mark Recchi outmuscled Tim Kennedy for a puck near the end boards in the Sabres zone. Recchi collected the loose puck and fed a perfect centering pass to Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron collected the puck in the slot and wired a wrist shot past Miller for the eventual game-winner.
The Sabres broke into the lead when Mike Grier defeated Rask early in the first period. Boston pulled into a tie when Dennis Wideman fired a slap shot past Miller later in the period.
Game Notes
The Sabres are scoreless in 12 attempts on the power play in the series…Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk was in on the play in which Tomas Vanek was injured. In Game Three he delivered a huge hit to Matt Ellis which knocked Ellis out from part of the game…Rask became the first rookie goaltender to win a home game for the Bruins since Andrew Raycroft won in 2004.
Contact Tom.Schettino@prohockeynews.com
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