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Kobasew gets goal, assist in return to Bruins

Nov 9, 2008 - 4:53 AM By Tony Lee PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- With another goal-scorer back in the fold and another quality win under their belt, the Boston Bruins are rolling.

Chuck Kobasew recorded a goal and an assist in his return from a long layoff to lift the Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Boston (8-3-3) has won three straight and six of seven overall. It scored the final three goals in this one to hand Buffalo its first regulation loss in seven road games this season.

"It's a big game, a big two points for us," Kobasew said.

Kobasew had two assists in just over 13 minutes of the Bruins' season opener at Colorado before suffering a fractured right leg. After missing 12 games, he returned Saturday and picked up where he left off, recording an assist on defenseman Dennis Wideman's goal late in the first period before notching the go-ahead tally - his first of the season - early in the second.

The 26-year-old Kobasew, who was second on the team in goals last season with 22, lofted a wrist shot that knuckled past goaltender Ryan Miller 2:47 into the middle session to snap the 1-1 tie.

The puck appeared to have caught a piece of a Sabres' skate before getting by Miller. While Kobasew called it luck, his teammates felt he deserved the break.

"He found his game, he was skating, he was battling," Boston captain Zdeno Chara said. "He got rewarded by scoring a goal. It was great to see him out there. Anytime you see a guy coming back from injury, it's a great feeling overall, lifts the morale of the whole team.

"He's a warrior, he likes to battle, he's never afraid of going in there to mix it up. You always love to have a guy like that back in the lineup."

The goal seemed to fire up the Bruins, who took over physically and battered the Sabres along the boards. Rising enforcer Milan Lucic had plenty to do with it, recording eight hits through two periods and changing the tone.

"That's what he brings," Boston coach Claude Julien said of Lucic. "We like to see him bring that every night. You know he's going to finish his checks, create turnovers. It certainly sets the tone and gets the fans in the game, which helps our hockey club."

"I think in the second period, they felt it," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said of Boston's punishing play. "They made it a point of finishing every check. I think almost every player wanted to go through people."

Roughly five minutes after Kobasew's tally, Marc Savard and Phil Kessel teamed to give Boston some breathing room. Savard set up Kessel for a shot that Miller deflected wide but right on the stick of the veteran center, who buried a one-timer for his sixth goal of the season.

Savard had gone without a goal in his previous 10 games.

The Sabres scored first when Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville used a give-and-go to get the puck past netminder Manny Fernandez. Connolly skated toward Fernandez before sliding a pass to Pominville, who promptly returned the puck to Connolly for a one-timer.

It was Connolly's first goal of the season.

Boston answered when Kobasew got the puck to Wideman at the point. The blue-liner, who notched a goal and an assist in Thursday's win over Toronto, fired a shot between Miller's legs to tie it.

Making his first start since October 25, Fernandez made a season-high 32 saves. He had been an observer during a stretch that saw fellow netminder Tim Thomas shine but took the wait in stride.

"He had to throw me in there eventually," Fernandez said of Julien. "He wanted to run Timmy as much as he could (while Thomas was hot). I don't know when that would've ended - he might've gone all 82 games. He had to throw me in there eventually. Buffalo just seemed to be the right fit."

While some pressed Julien as to whether a goaltending controversy might develop, the coach shrugged it off.

"Tim had played five straight games," Julien said. "It's a long year, it was a good time for Manny to come in. Tonight, he showed that he can be just as good. We've got two good goaltenders, and we should be looking at the fact that we have a position of strength and we have to use it."

Miller, who had a shutout streak of nearly 150 minutes snapped Friday against Atlanta, made 37 saves. He stopped all 16 shots he faced in the third period, when Boston continued to control the play.

Buffalo was outshot, 40-33, in the contest.