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Auld comes up big again for Bruins

Dec 11, 2007 - 5:44 AM By Dave Whalen PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins scored three goals on their first five shots and rolled to a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

Marc Savard opened the scoring when he jumped on an errant clearing pass by Buffalo 's Toni Lydman and snapped a 30-footer under the left arm of Sabres' goaltender Ryan Miller.

Just 44 seconds later Savard entered the zone up the left side and fed P.J. Axelsson in the low left slot. Axelsson quickly set up for a quick wrist shot that beat Miller short side, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead 7:13 into the opening period.

"We got our forecheck off perfect," Savard said. "I was right in the middle, I saw it coming and was able to pick it off. On the other one, we caught them on a line change. (Wideman) moved up quickly and I came behind (Axelsson) and he went right in the slot and I was able to find him there and he put it up top."

The Sabres cut the lead in half when they finished off a strong power play with a Jaroslav Spacek goal into an open left side of the net. Tim Connolly took a shot from the point and the rebound went to Paul Gaustad, who fed Spacek, beating Bruins goalie Alex Auld.

The Bruins regained the two-goal lead just 1:10 later as Milan Lucic read a cross-ice pass from Lydman in the Buffalo end, intercepting the giveaway and finding Peter Schaefer streaking toward the net. Schafer one timed the shot by the far side of Miller.

"Physically I felt fine," Lydman said. "I don't want to blame it on any kind of tiredness, just a poor decision on both of those plays. I don't want to give you any excuses."

Glen Metropolit closed out the scoring when he backhanded a shot by a sprawling Miller with just under 10 minutes left in the third period. Miller required some attention after the goal but stayed in the game.

Auld started his second straight game after the Bruins acquired him from Phoenix on December 6. He defeated Toronto on Saturday, stopping 25 shots while allowing only one goal. He finished with 44 saves in another solid performance.

"I didn't even know where the rebounds were, they were just hitting me," Auld said. "Some nights it's like that. Some nights you have to have that luck going for you. I felt good, just working hard, got to keep it going."

"It's nice to have that situation when you can depend on whoever you put in there, a solid performance on (Auld's) part," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "I guess the outcome could have been a lot different had he not bailed us out there, especially in the second period."

Both teams failed to score in the second period, however Buffalo outshot the Bruins, 20-5, in the frame and 32-11 after 40 minutes. Boston has defeated Buffalo in three of its four games this year after going 3-13 over the last two seasons.