Saber at Bruins | How to Watch, Lineup Notes and Storylines

Storylines

1. About last night

Two disallowed goals interrupted two separate comeback attempts by the Sabres, while costly puck decisions allowed the Maple Leafs to capitalize on quality chances.

Less than two minutes into the game, the Sabers fell behind, then the equalizer was taken off the board due to a late high-stick penalty. They appeared to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the third period, but Owen Power’s goal was disallowed for goalkeeper interference.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Toronto finished the game with 13 dangerous scoring chances.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” said stand-in captain Mattias Samuelsson, who scored in the defeat. “Poor puck management. To be honest, I don’t think Toronto did anything crazy to beat us. We’re obviously going to capitalize. So, yeah, we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot.

Read more at After-game report from Friday.

2. Stick to the script

Those who spoke after the game agreed that the Sabers’ defensive errors Friday were the result of individual plays that deviated from the team’s system.

Ruff attributed some of those decisions to the Sabers’ early 2-0 deficit, which caused them to play a higher-stakes game.

“We’re not a good team when it comes to following the game,” Ruff said. “Once we start chasing the game and taking risks, we expose ourselves too much.”

Before their two most recent losses, strong starts were a hallmark of the Sabers’ play, even on their current winning streak. They had scored first in seven of 10 games before falling behind early in Montreal on Tuesday.

If they do fall behind, Samuelsson and others said Friday, they will have to trust the framework of their five-man game to get back into the game.

“I think it’s just about working as a team and benefiting from each other,” Samuelsson said. “I think when we shoot ourselves in the foot, like in the second case, maybe it’s a bit of selfish play or non-play that benefits a team. It’s more about beating the guy one-on-one and stuff like that when you shouldn’t be and (the puck) goes the other way. Yeah, I think we just work together as a five-man unit on the ice.”

3. Scout the Bruins

This is the first of four meetings this season between the Sabers and Bruins, who overcame adversity to start the season and are now 17-13-4 and in playoff position.

Boston is 9-4-1 in 14 games under interim coach Joe Sacco, who replaced Jim Montgomery on Nov. 19. During that time they have won five games by one goal.

Bruins captain Brad Marchand enters Saturday on an eight-game points streak with five goals and four assists in that span. He leads the team with 13 goals this season and has a team-high eight points on the Boston power play, which ranks 31st in the NHL at 12.7 percent.

David Pastrnak led the Bruins with 33 points.