BOSTON (AP) - Thomas Vanek scored three goals and Jocelyn
Thibault shut out the Boston Bruins in his first start since Jan.
21 as the Buffalo Sabres ended their season with a 3-0 win Saturday
night.
The victory came too late for the Sabres. It was their first
game since they were eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday
night in a 3-1 loss at Montreal.
Boston, which clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 win at Ottawa
on Friday night, will finish seventh or eighth in the Eastern
Conference and play Montreal in the first round. The Candiens beat
Toronto 3-1 to assure the matchup with the Bruins.
The Bruins lost all eight of their games against the Canadiens,
seven in regulation. Boston ended the regular-season with a 4-1-3
record in its last eight games. Last season, the Bruins lost their
last six games, went 1-10-1 in their last 12 and missed postseason
play for the second straight year.
Buffalo's win also guaranteed the New York Rangers and New
Jersey will meet in another first-round series.
Vanek scored his 34th and 35th goals in the second period. Derek
Roy assisted on the first, giving him at least one point in the
last 12 games, the longest current streak in the NHL.
Vanek got the hat trick on an unselfish play by Roy, who could
have scored easily into an empty net. But he passed to Vanek,
skating a few feet to his left, for his 36th goal with 43 seconds
left in the game.
Thibault played in place of Ryan Miller, who had started the
previous 34 games. With no shot at the playoffs, the Sabres turned
to Thibault, who had one other shutout this season, on Nov. 24 at
Montreal, and played in just his 12th game Saturday.
He was rarely tested as the Bruins had 17 shots on goal. His
previous game was on March 12 when he relieved Miller against
Pittsburgh.
Buffalo took a 1-0 lead 1:01 into the second period when Jochen
Hecht backhanded a pass from the right corner behind Boston goalie
Tim Thomas and Vanek one-timed the puck in from the slot.
Vanek made it 2-0 at 11:38 of the period. Jason Pominville took
a shot from about 40 feet out on the right and Vanek redirected it
past Thomas from the edge of the crease.
Notes: Boston's leading scorer Marc Savard missed his seventh
straight game with a back injury. ... Buffalo ended the season with
a 2-4-2 record against Boston. ... The Bruins have won just one
playoff series in the last seven seasons. In their last postseason
appearance in 2003-04, they lost to Montreal 4-3 in the first
round. ... Boston missed the last two playoffs under different
coaches - Mike Sullivan in 2005-06 and Dave Lewis in 2006-07.
Claude Julien took over after Lewis was fired.