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Boyes lifts Sabres over Bruins in OT

Mar 11, 2011 - 7:44 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Brad Boyes scored with 1:16 left in overtime to complete Buffalo's 4-3 comeback win over Boston and give the Sabres the season series victory against their Northeast Division rival.

Nathan Gerbe set up the goal by picking up a loose puck and racing down the center of the ice before ripping a shot from the point. Tim Thomas blocked the initial shot, but wasn't quick enough to prevent the diminutive forward from slipping the puck to Boyes for the open-net tap-in.

Tim Connolly, Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis also tallied for the Sabres, who went 4-1-1 against Boston this season and are 4-1-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends Saturday in Toronto. Ryan Miller made 26 saves for the win.

Gregory Campbell, Nathan Horton and Mark Recchi lit the lamp for the Bruins, who have lost three straight since a season-high seven-game win streak. Thomas surrendered all four goals on 45 shots.

The Bruins jumped in front, 3-2, 2:18 into the final frame after Zdeno Chara's shot from the point was deflected by traffic. Campbell was in the right spot to slide the loose puck under Miller from the slot.

Buffalo, which never held the lead in regulation, knotted the game thanks to a 5-on-3 advantage just over five minutes into the period. The power-play unit worked the puck carefully around the perimeter until Vanek, from the left corner, centered it. The puck was kicked around in a scrum, but Connolly was finally able to push it past the goal line.

The rest of regulation was scoreless, forcing the extra period.

Boston took a 1-0 edge at the 8:54 mark of the first, when Horton tapped in the puck off Milan Lucic's cross-ice feed during an odd-man rush.

That score held until the mid-point of the second period, when a string of penalties created a 5-on-3 opportunity for the Sabres and a power play for the Bruins.

"Good first period and we were doing fine in the second, then some tough calls really killed the momentum for us," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "I thought we had some tough calls against us."

Neither team was able to score on its advantage, but just after time ran out on Buffalo's bench minor, Recchi stuffed in the puck during a goalmouth scramble.

Buffalo answered just 27 seconds later to make it 2-1. Ennis held a Steve Montador pass deep into the zone, long enough to get a sharp-angle shot into the open net.

The Sabres pulled even on the power play with 68 seconds left in the middle frame. Ennis went racing toward the back of the net and centered it just before reaching the back boards. Vanek then chipped the disc over Thomas' shoulder from in close.

Game Notes

Boston is just 16-12-5 as the host this season and has lost four of its last five games at TD Garden...The Sabres are 19-11-5 as the visiting team this season. Overall, they are 18-8-4 since the beginning of the year...The Bruins have not scored a power-play goal in eight games. They were 0-for-3 against the Sabres...Buffalo went 2-for-7 on the man-advantage.