The Boston Bruins are off to a very auspicious start to the 2013-14 season. They sit at 5-2-0 on the year and were tied for third place in the Atlantic Division heading into their next game.
How fitting that their next game was showcased as part of Wednesday Night Rivalry. Their opponent on Wednesday night was the Buffalo Sabres.
Buffalo is sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. This was a team that was built on going younger since they traded away Jason Pominville towards the end of last season. However, these are the teams that you have to watch out for. They certainly have handed the Bruins their fair share of problems, both in muscle and on the scoreboard.
The B's seemed poised heading into Wednesday night. In fact, this game featured the Bruins debut of goaltender Chad Johnson. He won the backup job in camp beating out some very young, stiff competition. Since the Bruins were playing a back-to-back this week, Johnson was going to see the ice sooner rather than later.
Let's see how this one turned out for the new netminder, shall we?
The game started out rather slowly considering it was these two teams on the ice. Both sides played excellent defensively, forcing their opponent to be very conservative with the puck. The only goal allowed in the opening period came off a shot by Jarome Iginla that deflected off the skate of Milan Lucic and into the goal. If it was not for Ryan Miller protecting the Sabres net, the score may have looked a little different.
In the second period, those two players picked up right where they left off. Iginla hooked up with Lucic yet again to put the Bruins up by two.
Heading into the third period, the B's possessed a one-goal lead. The defensemen got involved in the scoring for Boston as Dougie Hamilton beat Miller for one while Torey Krug racked up a pair. The Bruins stayed on top of the Sabres for the rest of the game. They were forced to play sloppy because the Bruins were so aggressive.
About midway through the third period, Sabres tough guy John Scott nearly decapitated Loui Eriksson with a hit to the head. He had to be carried off the ice by a couple of his teammates. As for Scott, he had to answer for that when Adam McQuaid was right there to challenge him. Scott received a match penalty, which means that the hit will automatically be reviewed by the league.
The B's won this game by a score of 5-2 and they remain unbeaten on the road this season. As for Johnson, he looked decent, allowing two questionable goals on 16 shots.
The Bruins will return home on Thursday night when they play host to the San Jose Sharks.
Gold Star: Milan Lucic...He recorded two goals and an assist on a night where he took a puck to the face. He got stitched up and headed right back out on the ice. This is why he wears the Black and Gold.
Black Star: Chad Johnson...The main factor here was that all of the other Bruins played well. He will surely see more games this year and it will be interesting to see how he grows.
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