Paul Gaustad said he regretted not doing more to stand up for Ryan Miller in the previous game against Boston. On his first shift and as soon as the puck dropped, Gaustad dropped the gloves with Milan Lucic, and got the crowd roaring.
The game lived up to all the hype, but the Bruins edged out the Sabres 4-3, winning in the 5th round of a shootout.
The Sabres had their chances and had a 2-0 lead on home ice. Although, they got a point out of it, the Sabres sent their fans home disappointed at the missed opportunity.
At the end of a scrap behind the net, Robyn Regehr found himself tied up with Zdeno Chara, and the pair dropped the gloves for the game’s second fight. Boston won both of them, but the Sabres fans were energized and the team was motivated.
Seconds later, Christian Ehrhoff started the scoring with a blast from the point, beating Tim Thomas and ending his two game shutout streak.
Thomas Vanek notched his 12th goal of the season to put the Sabres up by two in the first period, but the Bruins would rally back.
Tyler Seguin scored a power play goal early in the second period to put Boston on the board.
Making his NHL debut, T.J. Brennan found a loose puck and ripped a shot past Thomas for his first career goal, giving the Sabres a two goal lead once again.
Brad Marchand scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara tied the game early in the third.
The game headed to a shootout, where Tim Thomas was perfect. Thomas has stopped all eight shootout attempts he has faced this season, and Benoit Pouliot finished the game off with a goal in the fifth round.
With the win, the Bruins move into second place in the Eastern Conference while the Sabres are one point behind Toronto.
Brad Boyes left the game with a lower-body injury and did not return.
The Sabres will head to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets on Friday, before hosting the Capitals on Saturday.