Anaheim @ Boston 2-3 SO - Boston's Zdeno Chara tied the game with 2:50 left in the third period, Jarome Iginla scored the only goal of the shootout, and the Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 win at TD Garden. The Bruins (8-4-0) were able to shake off a slow start (they had one shot on goal in the first period) to earn two points and a split of their back-to-back that started with a 3-2 road loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Chara scored on the power play from in front of the Anaheim goal after a pass across the slot by David Krejci. Defenseman Torey Krug had just moved the puck down low. The Bruins failed to score on their only prior power play in the game. It didn't take the Ducks long to continue their recent fine play, scoring 1:52 into the game. Dustin Penner, back in the lineup after a five-game absence (concussion), intercepted a Carl Soderberg pass at the blue line to get the scoring play started. Penner sent the puck toward the Boston net, where it was knocked down by Mathieu Perreault then passed to the high slot for Devante Smith-Pelly. He fired a one-timer past Rask for a 1-0 lead on the first shot on goal of the game. The Ducks added four shots on net before the period ended. The Bruins didn't reach Hiller until 1:19 remained on the clock, when Chara found the net with a slap shot from the blue line. Soderberg made up for his first-period miscue with his first NHL goal. Ryan Spooner, playing his first NHL game of the season, dug the puck out of the Boston zone and chipped it ahead to Chris Kelly at the red line. Kelly one-touched it ahead to Soderberg at the blue line, and the Swede got behind the defense and slid a backhand under Hiller at 12:45. The Bruins shook up their third line by inserting Spooner and scratching Jordan Caron. Kelly moved out to the wing, and the maneuvers paid off. The Ducks took a 2-1 lead with 20.9 seconds left in the second period. Perreault won a draw from Gregory Campbell, and Cam Fowler passed the puck from the right wall back to Smith-Pelly at the right point. Smith-Pelly made a pass to the dot, where Perreault and Campbell were tied up until Perreault broke free for a spinning shot that beat Rask inside the far post.
Buffalo @ NY Rangers 0-2 - Three nights after being blanked 2-0 by the Montreal Canadiens in their home opener at the newly remodeled Madison Square Garden, New York got 29 saves by Henrik Lundqvist and goals from Derick Brassard and Chris Kreider in a 2-0 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Buffalo came out strong, taking the game's first three shots, but the Rangers settled down behind the line of Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Kreider. Zuccarello had New York's first quality scoring chance on the team's first shot 3:14 into the first period. He raced down right wing and went behind the Buffalo net before turning to his backhand for a wraparound attempt that was denied by Miller's outstretched right leg. Zuccarello's line set the stage for New York to open the scoring after Kreider was hauled down by Tyler Myer in front of the Buffalo net 7:25 into the game. With J.T. Miller providing a screen just outside the crease, Brassard's high, rising point shot beat Ryan Miller to the top right corner at 8:23 for his second goal of the season. Kreider made it 2-0 11:21 into the second when he scored his second goal in two games by knocking the puck off a sprawling Miller and into the net from a severe angle. Kreider began the play off a rush in which he fed the puck to Zuccarello in the slot. Miller stopped Zuccarello's shot, but the rebound went directly to Kreider near the left corner, where he wired a quick shot from behind the goal line before getting a favorable bounce. Buffalo finally tested Lundqvist late in the second period. With 4:20 remaining, Brian Flynn beat John Moore down the wing before firing a shot from in close, but Lundqvist stacked his right pad along the ice to stone Flynn and deny his jam at the rebound. The Sabres' best chance to halve the lead came when Steve Ott fed a streaking Drew Stafford right in front of Lundqvist with less than a minute remaining in the second. Lundqvist stood his ground and managed to stay sharp despite not being tested for large stretches of the game. Outshot 38-18 through two periods, Buffalo managed 11 shots but few scoring chances in the third. After coach Ron Rolston pulled Miller, Marcus Foligno forced Lundqvist to make a quality glove save on his quick shot from the slot with 80 seconds remaining. Lundqvist also kicked out Moulson's deflection of a Christian Ehrhoff feed from in close. After opening with nine consecutive road games while the remodeling of the Garden was completed, the Rangers are in the early part of a stretch in which they play nine of 12 games at home. They appear to have moved past their difficult season-opening road trip.
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