BUFFALO, New York — Center Ryan Spooner had a goal and two assists to lead the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Defenseman Zdeno Chara, right winger Brett Connolly and left winger Matt Beleskey also scored for the Bruins (22-16-5), who ended a three-game losing streak. Goalie Jonas Gustavsson made 33 saves.
Center David Legwand scored for the Sabres (17-23-4). Goalie Robin Lehner had 26 saves in his return to the lineup. It was Lehner’s first game in net since suffering a high ankle sprain in Buffalo’s season opener.
Legwand opened the scoring with 5:23 remaining in the first period. The fourth-liner scored on a wraparound to end a goal drought that lasted 20 games.
Beleskey evened the score 1:01 into the second period on a rebound. After Lehner stopped a shot from Spooner from close range, Beleskey pounced on the rebound and flung a hard shot into the top of the net for his eighth goal of the season.
The Sabres squandered an excellent chance to jump ahead in the second period when the Bruins took three consecutive penalties in a 4:32 span, but Buffalo was unable to score with the man advantage.
Chara gave Boston a 2-1 lead 29 seconds into the third period after a faceoff in the Buffalo end. The Bruins captain lifted a high wrist shot from the blue line through traffic, ending a goal drought that lasted 18 games. It was his sixth goal of the year.
Spooner made it 3-1 with 9:07 remaining. The Bruins center spun along the right wall and fired the puck toward the net, which found its way past Lehner with traffic in front.
Connolly added an empty-net goal with 1:09 remaining.
Sabres left winger Zemgus Girgensons left the game midway through the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
NOTES: Sabres D Mark Pysyk and D Carlo Colaiacovo were scratched. D Joe Morrow, RW Tyler Randall and RW David Pastrnak were scratched for the Bruins. … With Sabres G Robin Lehner returning from a high ankle sprain, G Linus Ullmark was sent back to Rochester of the AHL on Thursday. The 22-year-old went 7-10-2 with the Sabres, posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average. … This was the second of four meetings between the Sabres and Bruins this season. The next meeting takes place on Feb. 4 in Buffalo.
Blackhawks 4, Maple Leafs 1
TORONTO — Patrick Kane scored three goals and the Chicago Blackhawks extended their season-best winning streak to 10 games by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Friday.
Kane, a Blackhawks right winger, scored two goals in the second period and added an empty-net goal and an assist in the third period.
Left winger Artemi Panarin scored a goal and added two assists for the Blackhawks (30-13-4). Defenseman Brent Seabrook contributed two assists.
Defenseman Morgan Rielly scored for the Maple Leafs (16-19-7), who have lost four in a row.
Chicago goaltender Scott Darling, playing in his 11th game of the season and making his 10th start, stopped 28 shots.
Toronto goaltender James Reimer, starting for the second straight game, made 25 saves.
The Blackhawks were playing the second game of a back-to-back set after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Thursday.
The Maple Leafs were trying to rebound from a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.
Darling was tested on a 3-on-1 just past the 10-minute mark of the first period and was up to the task, using a poke check to break up the threat.
Chicago right winger Andrew Shaw put in his own rebound at 12:07 of the first period but Toronto won its challenge that the play was offside and the goal was disallowed.
The Maple Leafs outshot the Blackhawks 10-7 in the first period.
Kane converted a goalmouth pass from defenseman Duncan Keith at 13:07 of the second period, four seconds after a holding penalty against Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner had expired.
Kane’s second goal of the game, and his 27th of the season, came on a power play at 17:13 of the second. He rifled a shot from the lower edge of the right faceoff circle after taking a pass from Panarin. Toronto defenseman Matt Hunwick was serving a high-sticking penalty.
Chicago outshot Toronto 11-8 in the second period.
Panarin scored his 16th goal of the season 21 seconds into the third period as the Blackhawks had a two-man advantage.
Toronto center Nazem Kadri took a high-sticking penalty at 19:59 of the second period and defenseman Roman Polak was penalized for cross checking 12 seconds into the third period.
Rielly scored his fifth goal of the season at 3:47 of the third on a shot from the right faceoff circle.
Kane scored his 28th goal of the season at 17:48 of the third with Reimer removed for an extra attacker.