BOSTON (AP) - Zdeno Chara and Chuck Kobasew each scored two
goals, Marc Savard had a goal and three assists and the Boston
Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-4 on Wednesday night.
The Bruins won their sixth straight at home and for the seventh
time in the last eight games. Boston's last regulation loss was
Oct. 30 in Calgary.
After falling behind 4-2 with 7:23 remaining in the first
period, the Bruins scored five unanswered goals. Savard figured in
on four of them, giving him 600 points in his career.
Savard closed the gap to 4-3 before the end of the first period,
and Chara scored a pair of power-play goals sandwiched around
Kobasew's second of the game as the Bruins took a 6-4 lead after
two.
Kobasew seemed to deflate Buffalo when he scored a bizarre goal
from behind the Sabres net. His shot fell off goalie Ryan Miller's
back for Boston's first lead of the night.
Buffalo has dropped three straight and four of five. Miller
allowed seven goals on 20 shots.
Miller and Bruins goalie Manny Fernandez struggled early, with
Buffalo jumping to a 4-3 lead in the first 13:08.
Jason Pominville, who also added two assists, gave Buffalo a 1-0
lead when he hit a backhand shot over the left shoulder of
Fernandez 1:41 into the first period.
Kobasew briefly tied the game just over a minute later, but
Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek scored goals 29 seconds apart to give
the Sabres a 3-1 lead 4:58 into the game.
David Krejci responded for 30 seconds later to cut Boston's
deficit to 3-2, but Vanek notched his second goal of the night to
give the Sabres a 4-2 lead with 7:23 remaining in the period.
Vanek has 15 goals after beginning the night tied for the league
lead with Washington's Alexander Semin.
Patrick Lalime relieved Miller after Phil Kessel gave the Bruins
a 7-4 lead 1:16 into the third period.
Notes: Bruins forward Marco Sturm missed the game with an upper
body injury. ... Miller has allowed 11 goals in the last two games.
... The Bruins' Patrice Bergeron scored his 200th NHL point with
his first of two second-period assists. ... Krejci and Matt Hunwick
each had a pair of assists for the Bruins. ... Pominville has
scored goals in four straight.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)