Sabres Tie Bruins, Unbeaten Streak to 7
Michael Peca scored off a rebound with 1:20 left in regulation as the Buffalo Sabres extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with a 2-2 tie against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.
Jason Dawe's slap shot from inside the blue line was stopped by Byron Dafoe before Peca slapped the puck between the goaltender's legs as he came across the crease.
Dmitri Khristich had given the Bruins a 2-1 lead with 4:09 remaining in the third when his wrist shot went off Dominik Hasek and into the air before bouncing off the goaltender's head and into the net.
Sergei Samsonov scored for the Bruins early in the first period. Brad May scored on a lucky bounce at 7:34 of the first before both teams went into defensive shells until the final five minutes of regulation.
Dawe had the best opportunity in overtime with a breakaway, but Dafoe made a sliding save as the Sabres forward was hauled down.
The Sabres are 4-0-3 in their last seven games.
Buffalo and Boston each have two games before the Olympic break, but both teams looked like they were ready for an early vacation. Neither team had many scoring chances and showed little intensity for most of the game.
Wayne Primeau's routine shoot-in took a bad bounce and turned into a goal for May, tying the game 1-1 after Samonsov opened the scoring for Boston early in the first period.
Primeau was trying to get the puck deep when it ricocheted off a seam near the Zamboni entrance and bounced into the slot. May was streaking through the middle and easily found the open net. Referee Kerry Fraser taped the area where the puck hit the boards before play resumed.
Samsonov had given Boston a 1-0 lead 3:22 into the game with his 11th when he got behind Buffalo defenseman Richard Smehlik and capitalized on a cross-ice pass from Bruins forward Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan had the puck along the right wing and hit Samsonov just in front of the crease in a four-on-four situation. Samsonov made a quick move on Hasek and flipped the puck into a near-open net on Boston's second shot.
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