Talking Points: Boston Bruins Run Away From Buffalo In Third

BOSTON – Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 7-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden on Thursday night.

GOLD STAR: Jakub Lauko was part of the second period outburst that allowed the B’s to quickly build a 2-0 lead when he jumped on the rebound of a Brandon Carlo shot. Then he was part of the effort late in the third period that pushed things into blowout territory and in between he played a very solid fourth line role with Tomas Nosek and Garnet Hathaway. Lauko finished with the two goals to pump his season goal total up to three goals and he was a plus-1 in 11:53 of ice time while stepping into an opportunity afforded by the injuries to Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno.

BLACK EYE: Obviously the Sabres are going to be embarrassed by the way things got away from them in the third period. But the refs should also be embarrassed for not calling anything on Ilya Lyubushkin hitting Brad Marchand from behind into the boards on a play that injured the B’s left winger in the second period. Marchand never returned to the game and is day-to-day with a lower body injury and once again the referees let something go that put No. 63 in harm’s way.

Brad Marchand (lower-body) will not return tonight.

NESN thinks this was the hit that did it: pic.twitter.com/CcbRA4cJIz

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) March 3, 2023

TURNING POINT: It was the second period that started with David Pastrnak drawing a tripping penalty on Buffalo netminder Ukko Pekka Luukkonen that gave the Bruins a 4-on-3 power play.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is called for tripping pic.twitter.com/CiMg1f7igT

— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) March 3, 2023

Dmitry Orlov scored on that PP for the Bruins on a scorched one-timer shot and then Jakub Lauko on a rebound less than 90 seconds later to give the B’s a 2-0 lead late in the second period. That 1-2 combination finally allowed the Bruins to solve the Buffalo netminder and the rout was on by the third period when Boston pinned five goals on a Sabres team just trying to get out of the building.

HONORABLE MENTION: Jeremy Swayman wouldn’t get much credit from people simply looking at the final score as the Bruins scored five goals in the third period pulling away from Buffalo. But the B’s netminder was strong early in the game when it was scoreless in the first period and again in the second when he made 16 saves in the first 40 minutes of the game allowing Boston to build up a 2-goal lead. A Casey Mittelstadt goal in the third period ruined the shutout for the B’s netminder, but it all over by then as Swayman saved his best for earlier in the game like when he stuffed JJ Peterka on a 2-on-1 when things were still scoreless. In all Swayman finished with 26 saves in the blowout win and gave the Bruins what they needed early against a Sabres team looking to compete with the B’s early in the game.

BY THE NUMBERS: 61 – the number of games that it took the Boston Bruins to reach 100 points this season, making them the fastest team to that 100-point mark in NHL history.

How about them B's?! 🐻

With their victory tonight, the @NHLBruins became the fastest team to reach 100 points in NHL history!

NHL Fast 5 presented by @FastenalCompany pic.twitter.com/nId5ruJ2VV

— NHL (@NHL) March 3, 2023

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I don’t think Don Sweeney gets enough credit.” –Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery amidst a stream of thought talking about the newly acquired Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and Tyler Bertuzzi.