BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Andrej Sekera was unsure whether his
50-foot shot that sealed the Buffalo Sabres' victory hit anyone on
its way into the net. The rookie defenseman also didn't care.
All that mattered was Sekera's goal - scored 39 seconds into
overtime - sealed a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday, and
kept alive Buffalo's threadbare playoff hopes entering the final
week of the season. A loss in their regular-season home finale, and
the Sabres would've been done.
"It's an awesome feeling, it's unbelievable, I can't describe
it," Sekera said. "But the most important point is we get the two
points. We're not dead yet."
No, but they're still barely alive. With 86 points and three
games left, Buffalo remains in 10th place in the Eastern Conference
standings, five points back of a three-team logjam for sixth place
that now includes the Bruins.
"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves," said Ryan Miller,
who made 17 saves. "We're going to need some help, but we have to
help ourselves first or else it's all a moot point."
Thomas Vanek set up the decisive goal, driving up the left wing
before coming to a stop in the circle and feeding Sekera, who was
trailing just inside the blue line. Sekera then one-timed a
50-footer that glanced off Boston forward Glen Murray and caromed
in off the left post behind Alex Auld.
The goal was only the second of Sekera's career. He was called
up from the minors earlier this month to bolster a banged-up
defense, that's still minus two regulars.
Defenseman Toni Lydman also scored for Buffalo midway through
the first period, while Boston rookie David Krejci opened the
scoring with a short-handed goal less than three minutes in.
The Bruins, coming off a 4-0 win against Ottawa on Saturday, had
a three-game winning streak snapped, but still gained a key point
in their attempt to secure their first playoff berth in three
seasons.
"It's been a good week for us," Bruins coach Claude Julien
said. "If somebody would have told me that we had a chance for
seven out of eight points this week, we certainly would have taken
it."
The Bruins have 91 points and moved into a tie with the New York
Rangers, who have one game in hand, and Philadelphia. Boston has
three games left, and next plays at New Jersey on Wednesday and at
Ottawa on Friday.
The playoff picture, though, potentially won't be determined
until Saturday, when the Sabres and Bruins close their respective
seasons at Boston.
Auld said the Bruins can only worry about themselves.
"It's not like we're the only team Buffalo's chasing," said
Auld, who made 28 saves, including three key stops in the final
2:30 of regulation. "It would have been great to put another team
out of the picture, but they're still here and give them credit for
their battle."
In making his first start in two weeks, Auld was sharp and made
his best save with a 80 seconds left in regulation. Auld was
falling backward but got his glove up to bat down Paul Gaustad's
shot from the right circle.
The Sabres bounced back after a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal on
Friday, a game in which Buffalo squandered a 3-1 lead in the final
three minutes.
And yet, for a team in desperate need of a victory, Buffalo got
off to a terrible start when Krejci capped a two-on-one rush after
intercepting Maxim Afinogenov's weak pass into the middle in the
Bruins' end.
Lydman tied it with a power-play goal eight minutes later, when
he sneaked in behind Zdeno Chara in the slot and tapped in
Gaustad's centering pass.
The Bruins mustered few scoring chances and managed just nine
shots through 39 minutes.
Their best chance came during another short-handed chance in the
final seconds of the second period. Miller made the initial stop on
a shot tipped by Marco Sturm in front. Miller than dived across the
crease to foil Krejci's attempt to convert the rebound.
The win was all that mattered to Sabres captain Jason
Pominville.
"We won the game. We're not going to start nitpicking,"
Pominville said. "We had that sense of urgency. ... We played well
from start to finish. We deserved to win."
Notes: Krejci extended his point streak to four games, in which
the rookie center has eight points (three goals, five assists). ...
The game marked the earliest the Sabres have completed their home
schedule. Buffalo closes its season with three road games, starting
Tuesday at Toronto. ... The Sabres are attempting to avoid missing
the playoffs for the fourth time this decade, which would be the
most in a decade since the franchise was established in 1970.