Sabres snap Bruins Streak

BOSTON(AP) - Ryan Miller made 29 saves for the Sabres and benefited from Boston's misplaced shots at three open nets. Buffalo grabbed a 1-0 lead on Ellis' first goal 3:20 into the game. Henrik Tallinder's shot from the point trickled behind goalie Tim Thomas and Ellis poked the puck into the net. Vanek's power-play goal gave the Sabres a 2-0 edge 1:48 later, when he redirected Derek Roy's shot by Thomas.

The Bruins cut it to 2-1 when Kessel one-timed Marc Savard's cross-ice pass for a power-play goal at 10:46. Savard had a rough opening period when he failed to lift the puck over a sprawling Miller into an empty net and misfired from the right side of an open net with 6 1/2 minutes to play, dribbling the puck into the crease. Ellis' second of the game -- and just the fifth of his career -- made it 3-1 at 3:04 of the second. The winger, recalled from Portland of the AHL on Dec. 8, swooped in for the rebound and lifted it over Thomas.

Boston cut it to one on Thornton's score at 9:51, but Gaustad's goal increased Buffalo's lead back to two just over three minutes later. Gaustad, positioned in front, redirected Andrej Sekera's shot and the puck caromed in from Boston defenceman Shane Hnidy's leg. P.J. Axelsson, alone on the left wing, fired a shot into the side of the net with Miller out of position late in the second.

Notes: Boston D Aaron Ward missed the third period with an undisclosed injury. ... The Bruins entered the day with the league's top four plus-minus players: Dennis Wideman, Savard, Blake Wheeler and David Krejci, respectively. ... It was the fifth meeting between the teams. They split the first four, with Buffalo winning one in OT. ... It was Boston's second of 10 home games this month and the Sabres' second of 10 on the road in January... Sekera was helped off the ice after taking a hit midway into the third. (from Broadcast News Ltd.)