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Ellis helps Sabres stop streaking Bruins

Jan 3, 2009 - 10:32 PM By Tony Lee PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins had to be cooled off at some point. They probably didn't think Matt Ellis would be the one to do it.

Ellis had two goals for the first time in his career and added an assist as the Buffalo Sabres ended a pair of long streaks for the front-running Bruins with a 4-2 victory Saturday at TD Banknorth Garden.

Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad also scored and Ryan Miller made 29 saves as the Sabres snapped Boston's 14-game winning streak at home and its 10-game run overall - both the longest streaks in the league this season.

The weight of the win was not lost on Buffalo, a winner of three of its last four.

"We were going to treat this as a playoff game," Vanek said. "Boston is the hottest team in the league. To come into their building and get two points is pretty big for our hockey club right now."

The Bruins, who got goals from Phil Kessel and Shawn Thornton, had not lost at home since a 4-2 setback to Toronto on October 23.

Boston's 10-game streak was the fourth-longest in team history and its run at home the longest since a 16-game run from January 10-March 25, 1976.

Both streaks came to an end thanks the an improbable effort from the 27-year-old Ellis, who is with his third team in two seasons and was recalled from Portland of the American Hockey League just last month.

"I've been all over the map the last six to eight months," Ellis said. "I'm just taking things one day at a time. It's been quite a journey. It's my first multi-point game in the NHL and I'm pretty happy about it."

"We were all enjoying this high we were on and it's unfortunate it has to end sometime," said Boston center Marc Savard, who extended his points streak to five games with an assist on Kessel's team-leading 24th goal in the first. "You're not going to win 82 games so we have to get back on it."

Ellis set the tone less than four minutes in when he took a feed from Jason Pominville and pushed the puck past goaltender Tim Thomas for his second goal of the season at 3:20.

Ellis' positioning on the goal was critical and something Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has been preaching of late.

"That's really what the game's all about now," Ruff said of Ellis getting in place in front of the net. "Matt Ellis, both goals right around the paint. He did a great job showing a lot of composure.

"I give him a lot of credit. He puts a lot of work into the game and does a lot of little things right. I was proud of him. I was happy for him that he was able to get a three-point night."

Ellis last had such an effort two seasons ago when he recorded a hat trick while with Grand Rapids of the AHL.

Vanek gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead moments later when he redirected a shot from Derek Roy for a power-play tally at 5:08 - his team-leading 26th goal of the season.

The Bruins got on the board when Savard fed Kessel for a power-play goal midway through the first, but Ellis made it 3-1 early in the second when he hammered home the rebound of a shot by Ales Kotalik at 3:04.

Ellis, who assisted on Gaustad's goal to make it 4-2 late in the second, entered with just four goals and five assists in 84 career games in the NHL.

Thomas made 21 saves in his first loss in eight games this month. He has suffered two of his four regulation losses this season to the Sabres.

The 34-year-old netminder was crowded all afternoon, a product of Buffalo's game plan.

"Yeah, they created a lot of traffic," Thomas said. "They did some of the things that we are actually pretty good at doing also and they were rewarded with some bounces."

Thornton's third goal of the season beat Miller glove-side at 9:51 of the second to cut Boston's deficit to 3-2. But Miller did the job the rest of the way in improving to 3-2-0 against the Bruins this season.

Miller was aided early by a slew of missed opportunities by the Bruins, one when Savard botched a shot from the doorstep that a sprawling Miller was able to corral.

Savard started to raise his stick in triumph, but sensed later that he and his teammates had had a few too many breaks of late.

"Usually, even if I fan on it, it would jump up into the air, hit Miller in the head and go in," Savard said. "Tonight, I guess the guy upstairs had enough. He said, 'Enough, that is enough breaks.'"