For the first 19 minutes of their game against the Boston Bruins on Friday, Ralph Krueger saw the Buffalo Sabres shake off the early rust of a three-day break and settle into their 5-on-5 game.
The Sabres outshot the Bruins in that period, 11-8. They outchanced them at 5-on-5, too, by a tally of 9-4 (according to NaturalStatTrick.com). But a holding call against Marcus Johansson in the final minute led to a power-play goal for Boston's Patrice Bergeron, and Krueger felt the game change.
The Bruins controlled the second period to the tune of a 12-5 shot advantage, which ended with a second goal from Bergeron to make it 2-0. The Sabres pushed hard in the third period, but ultimately fell short in what ended as a 3-0 loss.
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