BOSTON — Just when their slide looked like it was going to continue, the Boston Bruins pulled out a dramatic win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who also had an assist in the game, forced overtime with a goal with 1:31 remaining in regulation and right winger Loui Eriksson scored with 2:46 left in overtime, giving the Bruins a 4-3 victory and sending the Sabres to their third straight loss after four wins in a row.
Erickson took a pass from left winger Milan Lucic, broke in and, as defenseman Josh Gorges caught up, swept his seventh goal of the season past goaltender Jhonas Enroth.
Enroth, who made 33 saves in a strong effort, was beaten by Hamilton’s eighth of the year after the Bruins pulled goaltender Tuukka Rask.
Center Tim Schaller, who hails from nearby Merrimack, N.H., and played his college hockey at Providence, beat Rask on a wraparound 1:27 into the third period to break a 2-2 tie.
As television cameras showed Schaller’s parents in the stands, teammate Ryan Flynn, who assisted on the goal, retrieved the puck.
The win was the fourth in the last 13 games for the Bruins and was also their fourth straight over Buffalo, their longest streak over the Sabres in almost 20 years. It was only the fourth time in 13 games the Bruins (17-14-3) scored more than two goals.
Defensemen Andres Meszaros, a former Bruin, and Rasmus Ristolainen also scored for the Sabres (13-19-2), while left winger Chris Kelly also scored for the Bruins, who got two assists from defenseman Zdeno Chara.
The Bruins, 0-for-11 in the last five games and 1-for-29 in the last 15, actually scored twice on the same power play to take the lead. First, right winger Reilly Smith’s shot from the blue line beat Enroth, but right winger Loui Eriksson was called for obstructing Enroth on what appeared to be a clean play. Center Carl Soderberg hit Hamilton for the goal that counted.
Buffalo right winger Brian Gionta left the game after a high hit by Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski in the first period — the Bruins killing three minutes of power-play time after the incident that led to a fight and Bartkowski’s ejection.
NOTES: Like so many NHL teams, the Sabres are fighting the effects of illness. However, LW Matt Moulson and RW Patrick Kaleta, who didn’t make the trip, apparently don’t have the mumps, the ailment traveling through the NHL. Coach Ted Nolan said the two are merely dealing with flu-like symptoms. … Buffalo also was missing D Tyler Myers, out with a lower-body injury but in line to play Tuesday night at Detroit. The Sabres recalled D Mark Pysyk and F Tim Schaller. D Mike Weber, who missed his fourth consecutive game because of a lower-body injury, also might return Tuesday. … Boston D Matt Bartkowski played in his 100th game with the club but wasn’t around long. He knocked Buffalo RW Brian Gionta silly with a high hit and then fought LW Marcus Foligno, who came to Gionta’s defense, in the first period. It was Bartkowski’s first NHL fight, and it led to a game misconduct.