Savard

BOSTON — After he was the only Bruins player to skate this morning a day after Boston’s 4-1 loss at Buffalo in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, Marc Savard was still holding out hope that he could be back in the lineup before the series ends.

“Every player wants to play and I think that I’m no different,” Savard said in the TD Garden hallway with a face full of sweat courtesy of another John Whitesides workout. ” I’m excited and obviously the adrenalin is pumping. Even today I couldn’t wait to get out there, even going out alone, I couldn’t wait to get out there and keep challenging myself. We’ll see what happens. It’s up to the coaches and the trainers and see what happens from here on in.” (more…)

BOSTON — Bruins head coach Claude Julien, whose team is still up three games to two in its Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with Buffalo, is relieved that Zdeno Chara won’t be suspended for Monday’s Game 6.

Chara was assessed an instigator with less than a second left in Game 5, after he was slashed by Paul Gaustad and responded with a couple swings with his gloved fist.

When asked if he thought there should’ve been a third-man-in penalty called on Buffalo forward Cody McCormick, who joined the fracas, Julien made it clear he doesn’t want to get caught up in what happened in the past. (more…)

Following up on the instigator penalty Zdeno Chara received at the end of tonight’s Game 5 Bruins loss, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on his Twitter feed that the league informed Boston and Buffalo that the automatic suspension has been rescinded. Chara retaliated against a Paul Gaustad slash to the back of his leg.

So Chara will play Monday night in Game 6 at TD Garden.

Here’s a look at the slash, Chara’s reaction and the melee:

This is what the Bruins should look like after a game

You never want to see anyone injured.

But in their 4-1 loss at Buffalo in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, you’ve would’ve liked to have seen at least one Bruins player put himself in a position where some sort of painful bruise, break or gash could’ve resulted.

Instead it was the Sabres who paid the price for almost all of the 60 minutes, while the Bruins treated the potential elimination game like it was a mid-January matinee. And now the series shifts back to Boston for a Game 6 Monday night. (more…)

Chara

With less than a second remaining in the Bruins’ 4-1 Game 5 loss at Buffalo in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tonight, defenseman Zdeno Chara was issued an instigator penalty after he retaliated to a slash to the back of his leg after the Sabres cleared the puck out of their own end.

This could mean a one-game suspension for Chara, although it could be rescinded. (more…)

Blocks were the key

Jason Pominville and Tyler Ennis both recorded a goal and an assist.

Buffalo’s top defense pair of Henrik Tallinder and Calder Trophy finalist Tyler Myers were each plus-3.

Ryan Miller made 34 saves.

But those weren’t the most impressive numbers of the night for the Sabres once their 4-1 win over the Bruins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at HSBC Arena was complete.

No the most amazing stat was Buffalo’s 26 blocked shots.

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Chara will be parting with the Norris

It’s no surprise that today the NHL announced the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and last year’s winner Zdeno Chara of the Bruins was not among them.

The finalists are Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty, Chicago’s Duncan Keith and Washington’s Mike Green. Conspicuous by his absence in addition to Chara is Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom, who won six times in seven years prior to Chara’s victory.

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Lucic

In the Bruins’ Game 2 and 4 victories over Buffalo in the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Sabres, Boston head coach Claude Julien shifted left winger Milan Lucic to a line with Steve Begin and Shawn Thornton for the third period and added Daniel Paille to the left of center Patrice Bergeron and right winger Mark Recchi.

It looks like Julien will start tonight’s Game 5 with that alignment that has worked so well.

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Adding muscle to their lineup in the form Cody McCormick didn’t work for the Buffalo Sabres in Game 4, so tonight they’ll try to add speed and scoring in the form of former BC star Nathan Gerbe for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Bruins in Buffalo. (more…)

Ruff

Well, at least he stopped blaming the officials.

The Globe and Mail reports from Buffalo’s Thursday’s practice that Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has publicly pleaded for his best players to step up their games in time to save the season, as the Sabres host the Bruins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series tonight with their backs firmly against the wall.

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Ryder

It’s gone almost as easy as rebooting a computer.

After a regular season that could politely be described as ineffective, Bruins winger Michael Ryder has truly reset his two-way play and retreated all the way back to last spring to become one of Boston’s most dangerous forwards during the first four games of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with Buffalo. (more…)

According to Sabres Edge, Thomas Vanek skated in Buffalo today but looked “more hesitant today on the HSBC Arena ice than he did during Wednesday’s workout in TD Garden.”

So the odds of him playing in Friday night’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Bruins aren’t much better than they were yesterday.

The Bruins must avoid Don Cherry's biggest gaffe.

WILMINGTON, Mass. — The Bruins have Drew Stafford to thank for Buffalo’s too-many-men penalty that led to Miro Satan’s game-winning goal in double-overtime Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, they shouldn’t gloat too much because the next victim of the dreaded call could be one of them. (more…)

WILMINGTON, Mass. — For the Bruins now, the only thing that matters is getting that fourth win over Buffalo to end this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series and move onto the next round.

They get their first chance at clinching Friday night at HSBC Arena in Game 5. (more…)

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Bruins winger Blake Wheeler can look back and laugh at the missed scoring chances he had in Wednesday’s overtime because Miro Satan saved the day with his double-overtime goal that earned Boston a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with Buffalo.

Here’s a look his best shot, which came shorthanded in overtime No. 1 :

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