• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Paille scores twice to lead Sabres past Bruins

Feb 6, 2008 - 3:58 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Buffalo Sabres hope the end of their season-high road trip is a sign of things to come.

Daniel Paille scored twice and Ryan Miller turned aside 30 shots as the Sabres topped the Boston Bruins, 4-2, on Tuesday night at TD Banknorth Garden.

After starting their seven-game trek with two losses, the Sabres rebounded to win four of their final five and closed within four points of the Bruins for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"That was very big," Miller said of the four wins on the road trip. "We had a nice chance to be with each other in Dallas for a few days and set some goals. It's kind of crunch time and more guys are realizing just how deep in the season we are, and we have more of a collective effort.

"It's been a long trip and it's going to be good to go home and start a new month," Paille added. "After the first two games we lost, we realized we needed to pick it up. We're still not in a playoff spot and every game is crucial. We just went back to the basics, played simple and things have been going well, and we want to keep it going."

Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville assisted on both of Paille's tallies for Buffalo, which held Boston scoreless on three power-play opportunities.

"Those guys are great players and know how to get it to someone when they're open," Paille said of his linemates. "It's pretty easy to play with those guys, and I was just in the right place tonight."

Some nifty passing put Buffalo on top first in the opening period. Hecht took a pass from All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell at center ice and skated into the offensive zone before finding Pominville on the right wing.

Pominville wasted no time in firing a perfect pass to Paille, who was stationed just to the right of Tim Thomas. Paille redirected the puck past the All-Star goaltender and just inside the left goalpost at 3:30 for his 12th goal and a 1-0 lead.

Hard work behind the net and good fortune in front of it allowed the Bruins to tie the game just over six minutes later.

Peter Schaefer controlled a bouncing puck behind the net and fed David Krejci in front. Miller made a pad save on Krejci's wrist shot, but the rebound came right to P.J. Axelsson, who beat the goalie over the shoulder at 9:48 for his 10th goal.

The Bruins appeared to gain momentum when they successfully killed a two-man disadvantage that bridged the end of the first period and beginning of the second. But that momentum ended when Thomas Vanek scored his 15th of the season to put Buffalo ahead, 2-1, at 5:44 of the second.

"Our willingness is there and our desperation has to be there every night," Miller said. "Tonight, we were going for pucks and supported our defense well."

The go-ahead tally again was the product of good passing as Campbell found Drew Stafford in the left faceoff circle. Stafford centered the puck to Vanek, who redirected it between the pads of Thomas.

"If you give them time and space, they have a lot of skilled players," Thomas said. "They have a lot of plays it looks like they practice in practice. It's not just something that happens, it's something they work on."

Boston had its chance to tie the game on consecutive power plays at the end of the second period but could not capitalize on either opportunity.

"I think for the first two periods, our chances were there," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Second period, we miss some open nets. Then they come down and make it 2-1. That's something we've been talking about, is bearing down and putting the puck in the net. And we've struggled at it."

Paille scored what proved to be the game-winner with 6:06 remaining in the third, when he took a pass from Hecht and directed the puck off his right skate to the blade of his stick and beat Thomas from the doorstep. The play was reviewed, but the goal stood.

Defenseman Toni Lydman made it 4-1 on the power play with 1:33 left before Boston blue-liner Mark Stuart beat Miller with one second remaining.

"It's quite frustrating," Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman said. "We had a lot of scoring chances tonight. I was terrible out there tonight. I could have stopped two or three of the goals they scored. That's just unacceptable at this time of year."

Thomas stopped 24 shots for Boston, which has lost two straight after a three-game winning streak.

"For two periods, it could have gone either way," Julien said. "But still, for those two periods, I sensed they were more desperate. In the third period, they put it away."