Buffalo 6, Boston 1: Brief reprieve provided for frustrated fans
Sabres' season concludes with hollow victory
Vanek scores twice to reach 40-goal plateau
Questions, concerns and anger will swirl around Sabreland for the next six months. Things should be especially bitter during the next nine weeks as 16 other teams compete for the Stanley Cup.
But on the final day of the season, it was hugs, handshakes and goal celebrations. The Buffalo Sabres walked out of HSBC Arena on Saturday as big winners.
In a game that had as much meaning and excitement as a September exhibition, the Sabres rolled past the resting Boston Bruins, 6-1. The Sabres struck for four goals in the first period, then coasted into the offseason with a three-game winning streak.
"Tonight was mainly for the people that showed up and supported us, send them home on a good taste," said left wing Thomas Vanek, who scored twice to reach 40 goals for the season.
The game figured to be a mismatch from the start. The Bruins, who were assured of the top spot in the Eastern Conference, sat captain Zdeno Chara, alternate captain Patrice Bergeron and leading goal-scorer Phil Kessel. They started backup goaltender Manny Fernandez in place of Vezina Trophy candidate Tim Thomas, then sat back and waited for the postseason to start.
The Sabres took advantage.
"We won. It was fun," defenseman Jaroslav Spacek said. "We jumped on them and didn't give them anything. I understand them. They've got nothing to lose, nothing to play for."
While it was a good time on Sabres' bench and in the building whenever the goal light shined, it was far from a special game. The cries of a lone baby were audible in the early going. Hundreds of blue seats sat empty in the 100 and 200 levels, the home to season-ticket holders.
It was the atmosphere expected for a team that has missed the playoffs two seasons in a row. The Sabres did their best to give fans a reason to get excited.
"Our fans, they need to have that win before a long, long break," Spacek said.
Tim Connolly's 18th goal started the scoring barrage just 3:34 in. After that, it was like a shark overtaking a group of uninterested guppies.
The second goal of Chris Butler's career came on a rising slap shot from the point. Jason Pominville put Vanek on the cusp of 40 goals, disrupting a Bruins rush and setting up Vanek on a two-on-one. Daniel Paille had Fernandez looking for help (and perhaps a white towel of surrender), scoring on a tap-in after Matt Ellis' tip clanked the post.
The first intermission certainly didn't feature a big pep talk in the Bruins' dressing room. They started the second period without a care in the world. Ellis used Paille as a decoy on an odd-man rush and scored with just 1:36 elapsed.
Vanek scored his 40th when he jammed home a rebound with 16 seconds to play.
The only real suspense late was whether a Sabres backup would blank the Bruins in the season finale for the second straight year. Jocelyn Thibault stopped 17 shots in Boston last year. Tellqvist stopped the first 29 shots, but the Bruins' power play converted on the 30th.
Mark Recchi's tip went over Tellqvist's shoulder with 6:05 left, sending one more reminder that nothing has gone as planned in Sabreland this season.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments