Recap: Buffalo vs. Boston

By Sports Network

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Derek Roy scored twice and Ryan Miller made 27 saves, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the surging Boston Bruins at HSBC Arena.

Jochen Hecht added a short-handed tally for the Sabres, who snapped a season- high five-game losing streak. Buffalo has fizzled after a 6-0-1 start to the 2008-09 campaign, going 4-8-2 in their last 14.

Phil Kessel and Matt Hunwick scored for Boston, which had earned at least a point in 10 straight games (9-0-1).

Tim Thomas, who entered Wednesday leading the league in goals-against average (1.80) and save percentage (.944), stopped 20-of-23 shots in defeat. The Flint, Michigan native had allowed two goals or fewer in his previous seven starts.

Last Wednesday in Boston, these two clubs engaged in the wildest first period in nearly 16 years, combining for five goals in the first 5:38 of play and seven in the frame. They recorded the fastest five goals from the start of a game since Detroit and New Jersey combined for five in the first 2:54 of the Red Wings' 8-5 victory on February 9, 1993.

Boston trailed 4-3 after 20 minutes, but scored the game's final four goals to come away with a 7-4 win.

The defense tightened up in the opening stanza this time around, and Buffalo emerged with a 2-0 advantage. Roy's unassisted tally put the home squad on the board, then the 5-foot-9 pivot hit the net again late in the period.

Off a feed from the dynamic Thomas Vanek, Roy walked out of the near corner before using the towering Zdeno Chara as a screen and firing a wrister off the left shoulder of Thomas with 1:23 remaining.

Hunwick trimmed the deficit in half at the 4:31 mark of the second period. Amid a mad scramble in front of Miller, the rookie rearguard jumped in from the point and tucked in a rebound past the Buffalo netminder's glove.

Hecht quickly restored the two-goal edge by pulling the trigger on a wicked slap shot from the top of the left circle just 30 seconds after Hunwick lit the lamp.

Kessel made it a one-goal affair 9:25 into the third period on his team- leading 11th marker of the season.

Boston continued to press and pulled Thomas with a little more than a minute left but couldn't come up with the tying goal.