Bruins Flip Series Momentum with Three Goal Second Period
After a late collapse in Game 1, which saw the Bruins concede four goals in the final eight minutes of the third period, the Bruins entered Game 2 needing to find a way to recover from the collapse and seize momentum in front of a raucous Buffalo crowd.
Neither team was able to find a goal in the opening frame, a period where the Bruins outshot the Sabres for the first time this series. Despite the score still tied after twenty minutes, not allowing the Sabres to score early and continue what started late Sunday night was crucial in allowing the Bruins to settle back into the series.
Five minutes into the second period, Viktor Arvidsson opened the scoring with a back hander to beat Ukko-Pekka Luukonen. Jonathan Aspirot started the play in his own end, initially sending a banked pass off the bench side boards for Casey Mittlestadt. Mittlestadt was immediately walled up but found a way to slide the puck back to Aspirot who connected on a long stretch pass with Arvidsson in the Sabres end to lead to the goal.
Following the goal, it was evident that the second goal at least shook the confidence of the Buffalo fan base, if not the Sabres on the ice, with Luukonen’s next routine stop garnering sarcastic cheers from the home fans. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was quick to attest that the goal did not alter his belief in the team or its netminder, “It's a lucky goal… We've seen over the years, you see goals like that… Took a little bit of a hard right when it landed. Ends up going in. This team has been so good about we win together, we lose together. I'm not gonna sit here and criticize our goalie.”
With three and a half minutes remaining in the period, the Bruins relied on a fortunate bounce to double the advantage. At center ice, David Pastrnack found Morgan Geekie with a short pass as the winger approached the Sabres logo. Geekie lofted a back-handed attempt towards the Buffalo net, attempting to get the puck in deep or set up an opportunity on a rebound for Sean Kuraly who was waiting at the blue line. Instead, Luukonen failed to read the short hop from the long-range effort and allowed the Bruins second goal of the period to find the back of the net.
After James Hagens drew an interference call on Tage Thompson with just over two minutes remaining in the second, the Bruins once again found the back of the net, this time on a much more traditional looking play than the second. In the opening seconds of the power play, Charlie McAvoy found David Pastrnak from the point before the Bruins leader scorer sent it across the zone to Pavel Zacha in the slot. Zacha wasted no time sending the puck by Luukonen to give the Bruins a commanding lead heading to the final intermission.
Viktor Arvidsson added to the advantage just 16 seconds into the third period before the Bruins survived a late comeback effort from Buffalo to hold onto a 4-2 victory. After four goals in just over fifteen minutes of game time, Lindy Ruff decided he had seen enough and replaced Luukonen with Alex Lyons for the majority of the third period. Lyons was noncommittal on if the move was to get Luukonen extra time to rest and regroup or a sign of things to come, “I think if you look at the year, the way it unfolded, how successful we were when we were alternating goaltenders…. Felt that there may be a chance we're gonna need (Alex Lyons). Never know, may play him next game, but thought just get him a period of play, 'cause he hasn't played in a while.”
With the game two victory, the series shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4 with the Bruins now in control of home ice advantage for the series, with three of the five remaining potential games to be played in TD Garden. The Bruins will be welcomed home for game three on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET by a crowd with renewed optimism after a dominant middle frame that helped equalize the series.
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