Saturday’s head-to-head against the Sabres came with some definite pressure for the Bruins.
It’s not quite ‘Game 7, Stanley Cup in your building’ pressure by any stretch, but it’s pressure nevertheless. Not only were the Bruins back on the ice just some 27 hours after landing back home after a five-game swing through Western Canada, but they were going up against a Buffalo squad that entered play ‘riding’ a 12-game winless skid (0-9-3) dating back to Nov. 27.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to be the team that’s on the other bench when the Sabres finally end that slide. And though the Bruins rode that wave a bit too close for comfort in this one, with the sides still knotted up at 1-1 with under four minutes left to go in regulation and groans aplenty from the hometown crowd, the Bruins managed to push their point streak to four by way of a 3-1 final at TD Garden.
Third Star: Nikita Zadorov
Dec 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) can’t get between Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) and center Charlie Coyle (13) during the third period at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
His teammates might not believe him, and he was the first one to tell you that no they did not believe him, but Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov claims to have had an internal countdown running off in his mind during the final moments of the Black and Gold’s first-period penalty kill with Charlie Coyle in the box.
So much so that he knew that his clear attempt would be the perfect pass Coyle needed to get the breakaway that ultimately led to the first Boston goal of the evening.
Whether it was indeed intentional or not, there’s no denying the downright delicious dime thrown up by Zadorov, and what it meant to the Bruins in a game that could’ve been lost early given Buffalo’s desperation as well as what was an obviously disjointed start to the night for the Bruins.
Deployed for 17:51 in the victory, Zadorov finished this contest with an assist, a plus-2 rating, and three hits. Another thing of note here: Zadorov is on a bit of a ‘heater’ when it comes to keeping his nose clean, with just one minor penalty assessed his way over the last six games.
Second Star: Joonas Korpisalo
Dec 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) congratulates goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) after their 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
December has been a difficult month for the Bruins’ Joonas Korpisalo. Not in terms of his numbers per se, but his ability to get the net for a start, with Saturday’s head-to-head with Buffalo marking just his third start of the month, and first since taking a loss in a 16-of-20 performance against the Kraken back on Dec. 12.
But on Saturday night, Korpisalo delivered, with 19 saves on 20 shots faced. And, to be honest, Korpisalo was pretty much the only thing the Bruins had going for ’em in the first 40 minutes of this one.
In addition to the 19 saves, Korpisalo was also credited with a perfect 3-for-3 line on high-danger saves, and had an expected goals against of 2.04, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
“I thought he was really good tonight,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco said of Korpisalo’s game. “I thought he gave us a chance to win and that’s what you need out of your goaltender.”
First Star: Morgan Geekie
Dec 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Morgan Geekie (39) celebrates his winning goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
The Bruins are asking an awful lot out of <strong>Morgan Geekie</strong> these days. Signed in 2023 to bolster Boston’s bottom six, and after a breakout year in a fourth-line role for the Kraken, the Sacco-led Bruins have asked the right-shooting Geekie to be a top-line, left wing for the club in the now.
But it’s a challenge that Geekie has not only embraced, but one that has brought the best out of him, with the versatile forward on the board with the game-winning goal in this one.
I think what you had to love about this strike from Geekie is that it came on what was a true second chance sequence for him, as Geekie appeared to score earlier in the period but saw the tally wiped off the board by way of a successful challenge from Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff that confirmed that David Pastrnak was offside.
For Geekie, the marker continued what’s been a good little run for him here, with five goals and seven points in his last eight games, and six goals and nine points in 15 games since the coaching change.
