Bruins' PP and goal scoring return

BOSTON (AP) - Mark Recchi and Zdeno Chara scored first-period power-play goals as the goal-starved Boston Bruins halted a rough stretch with a 4-2 win over Buffalo on Saturday night, sending the Sabres to their first consecutive losses of the season.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bruins, who had scored just once in their previous three games — that coming with 52 seconds remaining in regulation of a 2-1 shootout loss to Montreal in its last game on Thursday.

Boston also snapped an 0-for-20 run on the power play. Byron Bitz and Marco Sturm had the Bruins' other scores.

Derek Roy and Jason Pominville had the Sabres' goals. Buffalo was 0 for 7 on the power play.

Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots for Boston. Buffalo rookie netminder Jhonas Enroth, recalled from Portland of the AHL on Wednesday, made 33 saves in his NHL debut.

The Bruins made it 1-0 just 3:17 into the game when Recchi tipped Derek Morris' shot from the point past Enroth during their initial man-advantage opportunity.

Boston, which entered the night with the NHL's worst ranked power play, made it 2-0 on Chara's first goal of the season at 16:31.

Chara, the 2009 Norris Trophy winner, looked to the ceiling and raised both arms, possibly showing a bit of relief over his tough start. He scored a career-high 19 last season.

Facing a rookie goaltender and a team playing on consecutive nights appeared like the perfect recipe for the Bruins, who made it 3-0 on Bitz's goal 1:22 into the middle period. Center Steve Begin collected defenseman Steve Montador's errant pass in the slot and fed Bitz in front.

The Sabres cut it to 3-1 when Roy batted a bouncing puck by Rask from the slot, but Sturm one-timed a shot from the left circle that caromed into the net off the far post, making it 4-1 late in the second.

Boston had scored just four goals in its previous five games.

Former Sabre Daniel Paille, acquired from Buffalo on Oct. 20, was stopped on clean breakaway by Enroth's right-pad stop midway into the opening period. Bergeron flubbed a bid going in alone midway into the third.

NOTES:
Rask made his first start since shutting out Edmonton 2-0 on Oct 31.

Buffalo had a pair of players reach milestones: C Tim Connolly played his 500th career game and D Henrik Tallinder played his 400th.

It was the Sabres' third game in four nights. They lost 5-2 at home against Philadelphia on Friday.

Buffalo pulled its goalie and had the net empty for most of the final 1:40.