Sabres 2, Bruins 1 Final Score: Buffalo Rocks Through Bruins in Shootout

Well, it wasn't a 6-0 blowout, but the Bruins were still unable to take a win against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday in New York, after they fell in a 2-1 shootout loss.

The Bruins did however earn a point in the endeavor, and they looked consistent through most of the game with just a couple of slip ups on both ends of the ice.

Boston finished with 36 shots on net, including a 15-5 shot advantage in the third period alone, but Ryan Miller was in peak form and stopped the Bruins in their tracks.

He was almost perfect in the shootout as well, stopping all but one shot, and the single one he let in just barely slipped under his pads and into the net.

Tuukka Rask was on par with him tonight as well. He stopped 26-of-27 shots and made a couple key stops when he needed to.

And when he wasn't there, his defense was.

The save of the game came in overtime and the save was made by defenseman Zdeno Chara. Rask committed and went down to the ice squaring to the shooter in front of the net, the rebound came out to his left and Chara was able to get his stick in the way to keep the rebounded shot from going into the back of the net.

Not only did he provide his usual defensive talents, but he came through on the power play as well in the third period, after the Bruins fourth line--the "energy line" came out with a strong shift that drew a delay of game penalty against Christian Ehrhoff.

Just a minute into the man-advantage, the Bruins were able to come out and Chara's slap shot tied the game at one.

There were only four penalties in the entire game, and all four of them came against Buffalo. However, the Bruins were only able to capitalize on one. They now have a 18.4% power play conversion percentage. That puts them at 13th in the NHL.

The Bruins never led in the game, and the Sabres came out in the second period and Andrej Sekera picked up his third of the year, crashing the net through the slot and one timing a pass from Tyler Ennis past Rask.

The Bruins don't have much time to recover from that game as they travel to Ottawa for a game tomorrow night against the Senators. That game starts at 7 p.m. EST.

For more Boston Bruins coverage, visit our team page and blog, Stanley Cup Of Chowder.

Bruins Vs. Sabres Score Update: Buffalo Takes 1-0 Lead Late In Second Period

In the first two minutes of the period, the Bruins really took the upper hand and picked up two early Sabres turnovers and nearly scored off them, but ultimately were unable to convert.

In fact, they couldn't find the back of the net the entire period, extending Ryan Miller's shutout streak against them. However, the Sabres took advantage of a couple of the Bruins turnovers and managed to put one past Rask with 5:15 to go in the second period, courtesy of Andrej Sekera. Tyler Ennis found Sekera wide open in the slot and passed the puck to him while he crashed the net. Tuukka Rask didn't have a chance and like that Buffalo took a 1-0 lead.

But Boston had their own chances, including two opportunities on the power play. Sabres forward Corey Tropp was called twice for tripping, but the Bruins did not look good with the extra man either.

The B's have been traditionally very good in the third period this season and currently are tied in shots on goal heading into the third, with 18 a piece.

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Bruins Vs. Sabres Score Update: B's and Buffalo Tied 0-0 After First

The first period of Friday night's game was already miles ahead of where Tuukka Rask was in his last game against the Sabres.

However, the first couple minutes of the game left Bruins fans shaking their heads after the B's gave up a couple of hot opportunities to the Sabres right in front of their own net. Particularly, Joe Corvo turned the puck over right in front of Rask, and just minutes later Rask went from behind the net to try and pass the puck out, only to have it nearly intercepted by Nathan Gerbe.

Rask stopped all eight shots he faced in the period, while Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller stopped seven.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara nearly netted one of his own, throwing his hands up after he thought he put one past Miller, but instead the pucked nicked his shoulder and hit the crossbar instead of putting the Bruins up 1-0.

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Bruins Vs. Sabres Preview: TV/Radio Info, Time, Location And More

Event: Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres
Date/Time: Friday, February 24, 2012 - 7:30 p.m. EST.
Location: First Niagara Center (Capacity: 18,595), Buffalo, N.Y.
Broadcast Info: Friday’s game between the Bruins and the Sabres will be broadcast live on NESN. The game can also be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.

Last Time Out: For the first time in a while, the Bruins came out in convincing fashion and beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Wednesday.

Brad Marchand found the back of the net twice, including the assurance goal in the third period to put the Bruins up by two goals. Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly also notched goals, while Tim Thomas stayed steady in net--even in the second period when the Bruins allowed 14 shots through to Thomas, but only counted four of their own.

The Bruins were at risk of losing three in a row for the second time in two weeks, but once again came out and won in convincing fashion against a highly touted team.

The Sabres have had some recent success of their own, winning their last two games, including a 2-1 win over the Islanders. Tyler Myers and Thomas Vanek each picked up a goal in that game. Ryan Miller stopped 30-of-31 shots.

Storyline: The last time these two teams met, it was eerily similar to their situation right now. The Bruins had just come off a big win against the Washington Capitals after losing the two prior to that. However, despite what they thought would be a momentum building win, the B’s came back the following night and lost 6-0, not boasting a single point, and having both their goaltenders under the radar.

This time, Boston once again was on the brink of losing three games in a row, but avoided it by beating the Blues 4-2 in a strong effort. Now, tonight, they will travel to Buffalo to try and extend their point streak to two games for the first time since the beginning of January.

And seek some recompense as well.

Players To Watch: Brad Marchand started up some chatter last game after netting two goals for the Bruins. He had been quiet as of late (though, so has the entire team). He sparked two other teammates to score in the same period--Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly.

Lucic and Marchand both have 21 goals this season, tying Marchand’s career-high.

Prediction:The Bruins really need to get two back-to-back wins in order to help them have a consistent run for the rest of the season. Winning every other game, or every other period won’t be enough to bring them far into the rest of the season. Final Score: Bruins 4, Sabres 3.

For more Boston Bruins coverage, visit our team page and blog, Stanley Cup Of Chowder.

Bruins Vs. Sabres: B's Seek Recompense In Buffalo

There isn't a team out there that wouldn't look for a little revenge after being tossed around in the game previous, but just two weeks after the embarrassing 6-0 shutout, the Bruins are looking for the two points more than anything else.