BOSTON– Alex Tuch Recorded two goals and two assists, including a goal with 1:07 left in overtime to give the Buffalo Sabers a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday.
Tuch scored on the glove side from the slot on a pass from Dylan Cozens.
“Four points, he was incredible,” Sabers coach Don Granato said. “Obviously it was his night to stand up, dictate, influence, take control. He’s had a solid NHL career so far, but the potential he has is huge. He didn’t even scratch the surface, and on a night like this that’s what we were talking about.”
Cozens had a goal and an assist, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 37 saves for the Sabers (18-14-2), who have won six straight and are 11-3-2 since losing eight straight in regulation from Nov. 1 to November, 1st. 4-19.
“We knew before the third that they obviously didn’t lose in regular time (at home), and we wanted to be the first team to do so,” Tuch said. “Obviously they fight back and then we take both penalties to make it 5v3. The kill did a great job, and ‘UPL’ did a stellar job with some huge saves. We just found a way , And it shows the kind of team we are this year. We don’t want to back down from anyone and we know that when adversity (happens) we can overcome it and win hockey games.
Brad Merchant and David Pasternak Each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins (28-4-4), who extended their season-opening home point streak to 21 games (18-0-3). Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves.
Boston next faces the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Monday (2 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS).
“Disappointing finish,” Marchand said. “We had this game, we had our hands all over the place and we kind of squandered it. It’s ours. We should have been much better in this situation, but we’re not going to dwell on it. We have got a point and we “We have a great opportunity ahead of us. We are going to have fun (in the Winter Classic). It’s an exciting time.”
Video: BUF@BOS: Tuch takes Cozens’ pass and scores in overtime
Dylan Cozens tied it 3-3 with 1:37 left in the third period and the Luukkonen shot for the extra skater.
Rasmus Dahlin started the game by blocking Pastrnak’s attempt into the empty net. He then sent the puck down the ice, where Tuch beat the punt and dropped a pass to Cozens, who scored from the right faceoff circle with a shot that went through Swayman.
“I kinda sniffed on that one, and I thought that put him off,” Cozens said. “I don’t really remember where he went. I think he was expecting the other side and he ended up going to the short side and just finding a way in. It’s lucky for me there, but it was a great game from Tuch to beat the icing and drop it to me, and a great game from Dahlin too.”
Before Cozens’ goal, Luukkonen made five saves on a 5-on-3 power play for Boston that lasted 1:56.
“Compound,” Granato said. “We’ve seen that. We’ve seen that build with him, that progression with him. More confident, more comfortable in our system where the shots come in, where a breakdown can happen. He reads that. He reads those situations .significant in that respect.”
Video: BUF@BOS: Thompson puts the Sabers on the board
Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 13:09 of the first period with a one-timer from the left circle on a cross pass from David Krejci.
Video: BUF@BOS: Pastrnak fires one-timer for a goal
Thompson tied the game 1-1 at 16:13. After Tuch forced a turnover in the Bruins defensive zone, Jeff Skinner handed the puck to Thompson, who reached around Swayman’s outstretched glove to put the puck in the net.
Tuch then put Buffalo ahead 2-1 at 2:03 of the second period, skating alone and beating Swayman’s blocker side with a wrist shot.
Patrice Bergeron tied 2-2 at 5:16 of the third period. He scored a power-play goal with a one-timer from the right circle on a pass from Marchand, who scored on a breakaway to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead at 12:25.
“I think we’re going to put that aside pretty quickly and start focusing on the big event that’s coming up,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “The Winter Classic is like the Super Bowl of hockey in the regular season. It’s a great time. It’s a big event. It’s a special event, and it’s going to be at Fenway. So I think our minds are going get there fast enough and get excited for the Winter Classic.”
REMARKS: The Bruins tied their record for the longest home scoring streak at the start of the season (19-0 with two draws in 1973-74). … Buffalo is 14-0-1 when leading after two periods. … The Bruins lost in overtime for the first time this season (3-1).
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