Sabres at Bruins
THE STORY: The Buffalo Sabres will close out a disappointing campaign when they visit the Boston Bruins on Saturday in a meaningless regular-season finale. The Sabres' late-season push for a playoff berth ended with a 2-1 loss in Philadelphia on Thursday night, marking the third time in five seasons that Buffalo will miss the postseason. Boston has locked up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and will likely rest key players while waiting to see if its playoff opponent is Ottawa or Washington.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE SABRES (39-32-10): Buffalo had moved into sole possession of eighth place in the East after ripping off a five-game winning streak, but three losses in the last four games derailed its postseason hopes. The Sabres had not lost in regulation (25-0-2) when leading after the second period until the Flyers scored twice in the third period to deliver the knockout blow. "It's disappointing. It’s embarrassing to miss the playoffs,” goaltender Ryan Miller said.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (48-29-4): With Boston's backup goaltending situation in flux, Anton Khudobin made his season debut and turned aside a career-high 44 shots in a 3-1 win at Ottawa on Thursday. Tuukka Rask has been sidelined for over a month with a groin injury and Marty Turco has not been impressive in limited action, so Khudobin could get another start Saturday with a chance to thrust himself onto the postseason roster. The 25-year-old Russian is 5-1 in three seasons.
OVERTIME:
1. Boston has won three of five meetings with the Sabres this season, including both at TD Garden.
2. Miller shut out the Bruins earlier this season and is 22-6-7 lifetime against them.
3. Boston's David Krejci has three goals and six assists in the last six games.