Sabres wrap: Top line erupts for 7 goals in rare home win over Bruins

No one on the Sabres' roster had defeated the Boston Bruins twice in KeyBank Center before Tuesday night.

The Sabres' previous two wins at home against their Atlantic Division nemesis occurred in April 2021 and January 2018. None of their current players were on the team for the latter.

This Bruins team isn't as strong and deep as recent years, though. Their lack of depth and shaky goaltending were exploited by the Sabres throughout their game Tuesday night.

Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka had hat tricks, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves as Buffalo rolled to a 7-2 win over Boston. Thompson and Peterka also had an assist apiece to cap their remarkable performances. It was the first time the Sabres had multiple hat tricks in a game since Drew Stafford and Derek Roy did it on Jan. 18, 2008.

Buffalo improved to 19-26-5 overall and 10-11-3 on home ice. It was 1-11-1 in its previous 13 home games against Boston.

The Sabres fell behind 1-0 when Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei snapped the puck past Luukkonen with 7:16 left in the first period. Buffalo responded 55 seconds with Thompson's first goal, then he scored his second 4:43 into the second period to pull the Sabres ahead, 2-1. Thompson has a team-leading 25 goals and 44 points in 45 games.

Peterka made it 3-1 with his shot from the left circle only 1:47 after Thompson's second goal. Peterka also has nine multi-point games during his third NHL season, and his second goal of the game gave the Sabres insurance only 30 seconds after Brad Marchand cut their lead to 4-2. Zach Benson added a power-play goal with 12.1 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Bruins (25-20-6) were 5-1-1 in their previous seven games.

First period

• Lohrei cut to the slot and snapped the puck over the Sabres' net less than three minutes into the game.

• The Sabres' defensive-zone coverage had another breakdown a few minutes later when Bruins forward Charlie Coyle drove to the net and his low shot leaked through Luukkonen. Defensemen Henri Jokiharju and Jacob Bryson prevented Boston from capitalizing on the scoring chance.

• Sabres center Tage Thompson led a rush into the Bruins' offensive zone and briefly lost control of the puck before he sent a low shot on net that was stopped by goalie Jeremy Swayman.

• Tyson Kozak won an offensive-zone faceoff, then the Sabres rookie hit the side of the net on a backhand shot.

• Jason Zucker redirected Alex Tuch's pass wide of the Bruins' net, continuing Buffalo's run of encouraging shifts in the offensive zone.

• Lohrei gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead when the defenseman skated around Zach Benson near the blue line and shot the puck off Luukkonen's glove with 7:16 left in the first period.

• Thompson tied it 1-1 only 57 seconds later with a one-timer from the slot off a pass from Dylan Cozens. The shot was recorded at 102 mph, according to NHL Edge, and it was Thompson's fifth shot on goal of 100-plus mph this season.

• The Sabres outshot the Bruins, 10-5, in the first period and recorded eight more shot attempts (22-14).

Second period

• Thompson gave the Sabres a 2-1 with his fourth goal of the season only 4:43 into the second period. Mattias Samuelsson passed the puck from the left point to Ryan McLeod in the right circle. McLeod immediately sent a cross-ice pass to Thompson, who finished with a shot for his 24th goal of the season.

• Peterka's 12th goal of the season made it 3-1 and occurred 1:47 after Thompson scored his second of the game. Peterka's snipe from the left circle went over Swayman's glove with 13:28 left in the second period.

• Samuelsson's hooking penalty gave the Bruins a power play with 9:26 left in the second period. Luukkonen stopped David Pastrnak's one-timer and Beck Malenstyn intercepted a lazy drop pass to help Buffalo kill the penalty.

• Rasmus Dahlin set up Zucker for a one-timer from the right circle with 4:13 remaining in the second period, breaking a stretch during the game in which the Sabres were outshot 7-1.

• The Sabres didn't earn a shot on goal during their 1:02 of power-play time to end the second period. Jack Quinn turned the puck over shortly before time expired.

• Buffalo led 3-1 the second intermission, the 18th time this season it held a lead after 40 minutes of regulation.

Third period

• Zucker's shot went over the net as Marchand's penalty expired early in the third period.

• Boston didn't have a chance to build off any momentum created by the successful penalty kill. Thompson completed the hat trick with a shot from the right circle to put the Sabres ahead 4-1 with 16:47 left in the third period.

• Pavel Zacha's high-sticking penalty gave the Sabres their second power play of the game with 12:26 remaining in regulation, but Cozens took a tripping penalty only 1:16 later.

• Swayman made a clutch save on Tuch when the Sabres winger redirected McLeod's pass a few foot in front of the crease, then Marchand scored at the other end of the ice with a one-timer to cut Buffalo's lead to 4-2.

• Peterka's second goal of the game gave the Sabres another three-goal lead, as the winger fought through a check and scored on a blocker-side shot to make it 5-2 with 9:17 left in regulation.

• Peterka completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal 14:26 into the third period.

• Luukkonen made an exceptional glove save to bail out the Sabres during a 2-on-1.

Lineup

Sam Lafferty, Dennis Gilbert and Connor Clifton were the Sabres' scratches Tuesday night. Jordan Greenway remains on injured reserve while he works his way back from a middle-body injury that required surgery and has kept him out of the lineup since Dec. 15. He's expected to re-join the team for practices soon.

The Bruins were without defensemen Brandon Carlo, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm. Wingers Mark Kastelic (upper-body injury) and Oliver Wahlstrom (illness) were also out.

Rob Ray will become the 44th member of the Sabres Hall of Fame when the beloved broadcaster and former player is inducted in a pregame ceremony Friday night before a game against the Nashville Predators.