Recap: Buffalo vs. St. Louis
Sports Network | November 12, 2008
Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Henrik Tallinder, Adam Mair and Tim Connolly each had a goal and an assist in Buffalo's 4-3 victory over St. Louis, effectively ending the Sabres' 12-game winless streak against the Blues.
Ryan Miller made 30 saves to improve to 8-2-2 on the season for Buffalo, which had dropped two straight and five of its previous seven outings.
Manny Legace had a brutal effort in net for St. Louis, allowing three goals on seven shots before being pulled 5:18 into the first period. Chris Mason came on in relief and allowed a goal on 25 shots for St. Louis, which was 10-0 with a pair of ties in the previous 12 meetings with the Sabres and 6-0 with two deadlocks in the last eight encounters in Buffalo.
David Perron had a goal and two assists, while Lee Stempniak and Patrik Berglund each had a goal and a helper for the Blues, who have lost six straight (0-5-1) and eight of their last nine games.
St. Louis' comeback bid took a hit when a Tallinder scored his first goal of the season on a wrister from just above the left circle 3 1/2 minutes into the third period.
The Blues appeared to cut into the 4-2 deficit shortly thereafter, but Andy McDonald was whistled for interference just as Keith Tkachuk's wrister hit the back of the net five minutes into the third.
After killing the power play, however, Stempniak took advantage of a Buffalo turnover and snuck one past an unsuspecting Miller for a 4-3 game at the 8:08 mark.
It was the last the Blues seriously threatened, as the Sabres came away with the much-needed victory.
Buffalo appeared ready to win going away thanks to three goals in the opening 5:18 of the game.
After a turnover in the neutral zone, Mair uncorked a slap shot from 30 feet and blew the disc past Legace just 2:46 in.
Two minutes later Jochen Hecht took the puck down the right boards and centered it to Connolly, whose backhander somehow trickled over the goal line.
Seconds later, Connolly dished a pretty no-look pass from behind the net to Jason Pominville, who wasted little time in logging his fifth goal of the year for a 3-0 lead.
Perron finally got St. Louis on the board with just under six minutes left in the opening period on his first tally of the season.
The Blues made it a one-goal game in the second when Perron's centering pass hit off Tkachuk's skate and Berglund knocked the flying saucer out of the air and into the net.
Buffalo's Andrew Peters had two fights in the first period...St. Louis will complete a five-game road trip Friday in Chicago. Buffalo welcomes Columbus on Friday...Connolly left in the third period with an undisclosed injury after taking a big check by Tkachuk...It was Tallinder's first goal since March 2008, a span of 23 games.
