Sabres at Bruins

A hockey team cannot build a winning culture – or rebuild a winning culture – by mailing in games, even if the odd victory holds the potential of picking one or two spots too late to nab a generational player in the opening round of the NHL Entry Draft. It’s just not how hockey works.

One could even argue that, regardless of what encouraging things happen over the duration of the regular-season schedule, those gains will be rendered obsolete by offseason moves and next fall’s training camp, if not rendered irrelevant altogether. A notable exception: When Peter Laviolette took over for Paul Maurice coaching the Carolina Hurricanes who were out of the 2003-04 playoff race, some Carolina players and the team overall finished on a high note. Contrary to modern fantasy-sports-driven thinking, the Canes never lost that momentum, despite sitting out the entire 2004-05 season during the NHL owners’ lockout of the players. The Canes came back a matured group with an infusion of talent that effectively used the 2004-05 season for critical development and won the Stanley Cup in 2006.

Just sayin’ – I digress.

So it’s Bruins-Sabres tonight at TD Garden.

Buffalo is pinned to the bottom of the Eastern Conference and is likely to finish third or fourth from the NHL’s sea floor.

But they lead this game, 1-0, on a powerplay goal by Peyton Krebs with Mark Kastelic in the penalty box. The Bruins are already chasing this game.

The lineups for tonight:

Nice little scrum at the Buffalo goal initiated by Patrick Brown’s forecheck. That guy, whether in the AHL or the NHL, gives it all he’s got every single shift. One of the lost positives of this dreadful season has been Brown’s consistency of effort in a role that can easily discourage a young player and take the wind out of a veteran player’s sails.

Brown hit Beck Malenstyn on the forecheck (Malenstyn was later decked by Kastelic in the ensuing scrum), then Brown went to the goalmouth and bumped hard with former Bam-Bam Bruin Connor Clifton, igniting the scrum that somehow landed the Bruins a powerplay, down by one at home – okay, that was predictable but more predictable than explicable.

Morgan Geekie got decked on the powerplay by Clifton (boarding), making it a 5-on-3 for 51 seconds.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (6-foot-5 before skates and 223 pounds before goalie gear) exudes calmness in the Buffalo net. Joonas Korpisalo, the opposite end’s Finn-vs.-Finn counterpart, has been a fairly consistent performer in his role.

The Bruins sustained pressure, briefly, after the expiration of the PIM’s.

Draft-preoccupied fans will hope this is one of those nights when the Sabres were bound to snap their eight-game losing streak.

Chalk up another “W” for Nikita Zadorov, who scores the knockdown on Jordan Greenway in a tussle in the Boston end. No. 91s have got to be moving off those pro-shop shelves. Zadorov’s stock rose exponentially with each of the thunderous rights he threw Sam Bennett’s way last week, and the NHL’s PIM’s leader just added to his total (now 133 and counting).

Geekie digs the puck out of his own skates in the low slot and passes across to Pavel Zacha for an easy tap-in to tie the game (1-1) at the 13-minute mark. David Pastrnak with the set-up pass. It’s another piece of brilliance for the Bruins’ greatest offensive talent of the era.

The NHL officiating dept. can make a case against calling a penalty on the Sabres for hacking Johnny Beecher to the ice on what would have been a three-man, fourth-line rush, but instead let’s juxtapose it against the penalty that got the Bruins back into last week’s home game against Florida. On that play, the Bruins were down 2-0 in the third period when Pastrnak skated to the Florida goalmouth, intentionally tripping over a defenseman’s stick that was well established in place and never moved throughout the play. What both plays, taken together, reinforce is the theory that things you can do to fourth liners you cannot do to superstars. It’s that simple, and we see it over and over again. The calls, taken individually may very well be nuanced by shades of gray and defendable on their own. But, against the larger canvas, there is no denying the trend.

Geekie is in alone courtesy of a Parker Wotherspoon touchdown pass, and he scores to give Boston the lead, 2-1. Crowd roars its approval. Maybe it’s not one of those nights.

The Sabres, perhaps woken up by Zadorov’s annoying muscle and mouth, are playing a better second period. Korpisalo took a high, one-timer (we think it was Tage Thompson) off the padding high on the chest, and at the other end Luukkonen stopped Pastrnak on a breakaway.

Henri Jokiharju (aka the Zadorov whisperer) makes a big hit at center on Tyson Kozak.

Big Owen Power ties the game with 7:12 remaining in the second period. A gorgeous cross-ice pass from Ryan McLeod, the second step of a sweet relay by Buffalo in the Boston zone. The Sabres are now outshooting the Bruins 12-10.

The Bruins only have two shots on goal in the second period – 5:50 remaining.

Elias Lindholm threw a hit on the forecheck on Thompson, turned around and skated slowly to the Boston bench. He did not leave the game but could be seen discussing the collision with a member of the Bruins’ training staff. It’s a been a rough road for Lindholm, whose problems finding offense and any measure of consistency has been elusive, especially coming into a chaotic situation that the Bruins desperately need to start relatively smoothly next fall.

Shots after two: 16-12 Buffalo. The Bruins had two second-period shots, but they did press the attack in the final five minutes of the middle frame. They just didn’t land anything on net.

We’re almost five minutes into the third period, and the Bruins still have only two shots on net since the first period. Correction: The Bruins had 8 first-period shots and 4 in the second. They have yet to land a shot here in the third, though one wondered at Geekie’s last chance at the right post if that one would qualify.

Lohrei is back – he’s a hockey player.

With the third period winding down, the Bruins and the Sabres are trading scoring chances, and the TD Garden crowd is roaring with each switch in momentum. It’s amazing, the dichotomy of fans preoccupied with draft position and any implications affecting next season versus the paying customers – especially the families) here to enjoy a Bruins game they may have been waiting since Christmas for.

Big chance for Elias Lindholm, but Luukkonen dives to fall into the save at the right post. The Sabres do a lot of fancy passing; sometimes it winds up in the opponent’s net, sometimes on the opponent’s sticks and they get the scoring opportunity as a result.

Parker Wotherspoon made a nice possession play to fake outlets and divert a Buffalo forecheck that was running out of steam for a prolonged effort.

Former Bruins goalie Mike Bales is on the Buffalo coaching staff.

Timeout on the ice for replacement of a pane of hockey glass in the Zamboni corner. 3:28 remaining in regulation, games is tied at 2-2.

Lohrei with a potentially game-deciding giveaway, but the Sabres miss two looks at the net.

Jason Zucker tries to run Johnny Beecher through the boards on a zone outlet.

Thompson takes exception when time runs out on Cole Koepke’s zone entry but he still stickhandles the puck into Luukkonen’s skates. Nothing comes of it.

Both teams get a point, as this one goes to overtime.

Rink Rap is packing up for postgame. Any further updates will be made tonight on X (Twitter).

Drive safely.