Takeaways: Special teams lead Bruins to decisive win over Sabers

Bruins

Boston rebounded from a pre-Christmas losing streak to claim a solid division victory.

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, right, skates the puck away from Buffalo Sabers left wing Zach Benson during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, New York, Wednesday, 27 December 2023. AP

The Boston Bruins entered the break as a lame group after losing their last four games.

After a strong performance against the Buffalo Sabres, it seemed like a three-day break was exactly what the Black and Gold needed. The Bruins reset mentally and physically and responded with a decisive 4-1 victory over their Atlantic Division foes.

“Just shake off the rust during the first few periods and get your legs under us,” Morgan Geekie told reporters after scoring one of Boston’s three power-play goals that night. “I thought as the game went on, we started getting more opportunities and playing the right way.”

Mason Lohrei opened the scoring, crashing into the net to bury a rebound past Devon Levi and giving Boston the lead just 4:19 into Wednesday’s game.

Shortly after, the Bruins were forced to wipe out a four-minute Buffalo lead. In a dominant special teams performance, Boston passed the first of many tests.

“Obviously, (the kill) was a big deal,” Jake DeBrusk said after his first multi-point game of the season. “We were able to score on our turn, after which there was a complete change in the game.”

The Bruins continued their strong special teams performance, as Charlie Coyle found the back of the net after a brilliant assist from DeBrusk for his first of two power-play goals.

“I think we were opportunistic at first,” DeBrusk added. “That first goal was great; Obviously it was a great play in the neutral zone…special teams can go either way. Penalties and things like that gave us momentum.”

Boston continued to put pressure on the special teams, scoring two more power play goals during the middle frame. Coyle’s second of the night, and 12th of the season, put the Bruins up 3-0, and Geekie extended the lead to 4-0 later.

The Sabers got one back late, but Boston closed things out to snap the four-game losing streak.

Here’s what we learned as the Bruins got back on track after the break.

Boston’s special teams set the tone to break the losing streak.

While the Bruins looked solid during five-on-five play, their special teams play allowed them to snap their first four-game skid since the 2019-20 campaign. Boston went three for four with the man advantage and ended all six of Buffalo’s power plays.

“We were able to capitalize on the bang-bang power play,” DeBrusk said. “We play with a defensive system, so when we get a couple of goals… we are a difficult team to come back from.”

Boston’s top penalty kill, which had a problem during its four-game stretch, faced a crucial situation shortly after Brad Marchand served four minutes in the box for a questionable cross-checking call and subsequent minor unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Bruins shut down Buffalo’s momentum right then and there, limiting the Sabres’ chances of evening the contest. Boston’s thin unit faced another tough test late in the second period during a parade to the penalty box. The Bruins finished off a four-on-three and a five-on-three to keep their 4-0 lead intact at the end of 40 minutes of play.

Swayman recovers

A staple of the Bruins’ success this season was their goalie bailing them out. On the contrary, a staple of his recent downfall was that goaltending fell victim to numerous defensive misgivings.

In a rare occurrence last Friday, Swayman allowed five goals in a crushing loss to Winnipeg – a slight setback in a season of Vezina’s caliber.

“This league is very good. It will humiliate you if you feel comfortable.” Swayman said while enjoying some tasty Buffalo wings after their tenth victory of the season. “That was the mentality he had when he started.”

Although the Sabers barely tested Swayman, the fourth-year goalie provided another solid outing, stopping 25 of 26 shots.

Swayman’s best stop came in the second period, when he denied a JJ Peterka shot off a bang-bang pass from Jack Quinn. But interestingly, Boston’s biggest save of the night didn’t come from Swayman.

McAvoy stands out with outstanding defensive play.

In the second period, Dylan Cozens fired a punch over Swayman. The puck jumped right over Swayman and began its descent toward the Boston net.

That was until Charlie McAvoy had something to say about it.

In a last-ditch effort, McAvoy darted into Swayman’s box, batting the puck high in the air and out of trouble, saving a certain goal in the most dynamic way possible.

“Unbelievable,” Swayman said. “I owe you dinner. It will be fun”.

For now, McAvoy would have to settle for an honorary goalie hug from Swayman.

Such an honor is rare for someone other than Linus Ullmark, but memorable plays like McAvoy’s stop in special circumstances.