Bruins top Sabres in double OT for 3-1 series lead

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BOSTON -- Miroslav Satan's power-play goal 7:41 into the second overtime gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night and a 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.

Buffalo took a bench minor for too many men on the ice at 5:50 of the second OT after a bad line change. The Sabres had nearly killed the penalty before Michael Ryder carried into the Buffalo zone and found Satan coming down the middle. Satan took the pass, stepped to his right and slid a backhander between rookie defenseman Tyler Myers and goaltender Ryan Miller to win the longest playoff game this spring.

Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask, who made 35 saves, had the other assist on the winning goal. Miller stopped 37 shots.

It was the Bruins' first multiple-period overtime victory since Game 7 of the 1939 Stanley Cup semifinal series against the New York Rangers, when Mel "Sudden Death" Hill scored his third overtime goal of the series to give the Bruins the championship.

No title will be on the line Friday, but the Bruins can wrap up a berth in the conference semifinals with a win in Game 5 at Buffalo's HSBC Arena.

After Boston got two goals in the third period to force overtime, both teams had excellent chances early in the first extra period. Buffalo's Tim Connolly nearly won it at 4:50 when his power-play slap shot from the left point beat Rask cleanly but rang off the post. Boston's Blake Wheeler had a shorthanded breakaway 20 seconds later but was stopped by Miller, who also made a big save a couple of minutes later when he went post-to-post to rob Patrice Bergeron, who was alone in the left circle and appeared to have a wide-open net. Miller robbed Ryder and Satan later in the first OT.

Buffalo, which was 30-0-0 during the regular season when leading after two periods, failed to close out a game with a third-period lead for the second time in three games. The Bruins entered the third period down two goals but needed less than seven minutes to get even.

David Krejci got the Bruins on the board at 2:07 when he was able to get to the rebound of Matt Hunwick's shot after Miller made the original save. With Miller battling Bergeron at the top of the crease, Krejci dug out the loose puck, took a step to the side and hit the wide-open net for his first of the series.

Bergeron tied it at 6:40 when he whipped a shot from the bottom of the left circle under the pad of Miller, who might have been expecting him to pass back into the slot.

Both teams had eight shots in each of the first two periods, but the Sabres were able to put one past Rask in each period for a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes.

Tim Kennedy gave the Sabres the lead just 2:12 into the game. Tyler Ennis tried to stuff the puck at Rask's left post but was denied. However, the rebound came out into the slot and Kennedy came racing in to fire it past Rask. It was the fourth time in as many games that the Sabres scored the first goal.

Sabres defenseman Steve Montador made it 2-0 at 6:59 of the second. With teammate Paul Gaustad screening Rask, Montador took a shot from the right point that hit Boston defenseman Dennis Wideman and went past Rask.

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Shift of the game: Obviously, the shift that produced the winning goal. Buffalo had nearly killed off a bench minor for too many men when Michael Ryder carried up the right wing and passed to Miroslav Satan in the slot. Satan stepped to his right and then fired a shot between goalie Ryan Miller and defenseman Tyler Myers for the winner.