Sabres at Bruins

The Boston Bruins have Hampus Lindholm in the lineup again, and that makes them look very different on both sides of the puck. Jonathan Aspirot once again in for Mason Lohrei. Also: Note Boston’s line shuffle for the start of this game.

FIRST PERIOD

The improving Sabres (4-4-2) are outshooting the Bruins 6-0, and some of those shots have been scoring areas, so Joonas Korpisalo, so far at least, is more than making the most of his second consecutive start with a healthy Jeremy Swayman on the bench.

Morgan Geekie turns Michael Kesselring just in time to pull the puck back to try for a stuff under Buffalo starter Alex Lyon, who says not this time. Still scoreless, and that’s Boston’s first shot coming in the 10th minute of the period.

Jordan Harris just seen rolling past the press box, walking with one leg and the other bent in a boot, resting atop a cart with wheels.

David Pastrnak invents a tripping penalty on Rasmus Dahlin, providing the Bruins with an opportunity to get going offensively. Shot were still 9-1 Buffalo when the penalty began with 8:36 remaining in the opening period.

Lyons flails at a floating puck – a tumbling muffin? – that grazes the left post and goes wide.

Bruins go up on the powerplay with 17 seconds left on Dahlin’s PIM, Pastrnak faking shot and instead firing a contortionist’s pass cross ice to Geekie, who beats Lyons from the right circle (a rare Geekie goal from his “natural” side).

The Bruins had already been credited with their second shot prior to the powerplay, but the scoreboard does not yet reflect a third shot after Geekie’s goal. It’s 12-2 Buffalo with 5:13 left in the first period.

Pastrnak makes it 2-0, holding and shooting on the 2-on-1. The scoreboard is listing the goal as the Bruins’ third shot on net.

More pressure from the Pastrnak line, but Marat Khusnutdinov goes out for hooking with 1:58 left in the period. Tage Thompson fans on a hard pass to the slot.

Bruins end the first period with two seconds left to kill on Khusnutdinov’s PIM, so notice if Marco Sturm starts the top line so that the Russian left winger can jump out of the penalty box and right into his line’s structure without having to spring clear across the ice while the Bruins reset.

Shots officially 13-5 Buffalo after the first.

SECOND PERIOD

David Pastrnak was hoping for a takeaway, instead he gets a hooking penalty 45 seconds into the second period. Second minute of the powerplay, Korpisalo got himself in trouble trying to shoot the puck down the ice, but he made the save after his flub settled on a Buffalo stick in front. Pastrnak is two second away. Bruins win the draw, get the clear, get the kill.

Ensuing action, Bruins get some pressure, and Hampus Lindholm goes deep, leaving Casey Mittelstadt defending against Alex Tuch and Josh Doan, but “D partner” Andrew Peeke does a great job impeding Tuch’s path to the puck, and the Bruins thwart the threat.

The Sabres are trying to turn this game into a track meet and trade chances, but so far that hasn’t worked in their favor.

The Bruins’ top line throws the puck around the Buffalo end but without it resulting in a shot at the net.

Elias Lindholm is down at center ice and needs assistance to leave the rink. It looks like a lower-body injury, as the assistance continues down the tunnel. Stay tuned.

The collision with Jordan Greenway has probably knocked Elias Lindholm out of the game, and the Bruins have to hope that’s all that we’re talking about.

Rough shift for Fraser Minten’s line with Geekie and Tanner Jeannot, and it seems the rookie centerman is out there a long time chasing the Sabres and trying to pester them into giving up the puck. One shot from the point appears to hit Korpisalo for a lucky save to go with all the excellent ones he’s made in holding Buffalo off the scoreboard halfway through the game.

Mittelstadt, who rifled the puck on Lyons his last time down the ice, made an ill-advised drop pass that got picked off by Buffalo. Hampus Lindholm was also on the finishing end of a nice relay that Lyon stopped, as the Bruins creep toward the Sabres on the shot counter (19-11 with 8 minutes left in the second period).

Kesselring is going to the penalty box for hooking Geekie. Great play by Pastrnak to signal Geekie to go long, then flipping the puck in his direction. Bruins powerplay with 7:20 left in the second period.

Henri Jokiharju hits the near post with a wrister from the left point.

Bruins center Pavel Zacha is getting a slashing penalty, and the Sabres get Lyon to the bench for a sixth attacker and do a smart job ragging the puck and time off the clock, elongating their powerplay to the full two minutes.

TV timeout before the Buffalo powerplay with 5:16 left in the second period.

Rasmus Dahlin, smacked by Mark Kastelic for digging at the left post earlier in the powerplay, scores from the left point at 16:01 to make it a one-goal game (2-1 Boston).

With Elias Lindholm out of the game (lower-body injury), Sturm responds by skating Khusnutdinov with Pastrnak and Eyssimont, and Khusnutdinov almost skates the puck past the last defender, who deflects his shot out of play.

Potential momentum switch here that Sturm is trying hard to turn instead into a response segment for the Bruins.

Hampus Lindholm blocks a point shot, then Kesselring weaves through traffic and whips a hard shot wide of the left post, smacking his stick against the right boards on the cutback.

Korpisalo comes up big, stopping Jason Zucker from the slot and then the follow-up.

Kastelic goes to the ice at the other end to poke a loose rebound under Lyon to make it 3-1 with 20.6 seconds left in the period. Conor Timmins was trying to box out Kastelic, but the Bruins forward dove to get his stick on the puck. The goal, as are all NHL goals, is under review, but it’s a good goal and the officials gather at center ice amidst bench-to-bench commotion (Jeannot on the Bruins’ end).

The period ends with a crosschecking penalty on Zacha. Lyons began sprinting toward the Sabres’ bench but hesitated, then went.

No shortage of adventure in the minute that follows any Boston goal.

The Sabres will begin the third period on the powerplay for the full two minutes.

Shots after two periods: 30-14 Buffalo.

THIRD PERIOD