The Boston Bruins returned with a bit of rust from the three-week National Hockey League Olympic break, taking only three of a possible six points from the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. While Boston suffered a 5-4 loss in overtime to the Sabres on Feb. 26 and a 4-2 defeat to the Capitals on Saturday, the Bruins salvaged the week with a 6-3 win over the Rangers on Sunday afternoon.

In their first game back from the break, the Bruins stuggled to play a fundamentally sound hockey game. The Sabres, after several key mistakes made by the Bruins, walked away with two points and a 5-4 overtime victory.

Just one minute, 16 seconds into the game, the Bruins were served a bench penalty for having too many men on the ice, a penalty that is generally seen as a lapse in mental judgement. As time expired at the end of the second period, defensman Kevin Miller and Sabres left wing Marcus Foligno were assesed matching unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

The Bruins, while at even strength, still failed to outmuscle the Sabres.

After Buffalo jumped out to a 1-0 lead within three minutes of the game's opening whistle, the Bruins responded with a goal from center Chris Kelly at the 10:47 mark of the period to tie the game at 1-1.

Two Buffalo goals, though, in just three minutes soon led the Bruins to a costly 3-1 deficit.

Midway through the second period, the tide turned. Defensmen Zdeno Chara blasted a power-play goal and left-wing Brad Marchand followed with his 20th goal of the year with 2:54 remaining in the middle period to even the game at 3-3.

Although Boston added another power-play goal halfway through the third period, this time from center Milan Lucic, the road team could not pull away from the host Sabres. Buffalo added a goal with just 53 seconds remaning in the game to knot the score at 4-4 and send the game to an overtime period.
In the extra period, right wing Loui Eriksson turned the puck over in the Bruins' defensive zone and allowed the Sabres to put home the game-winning goal just 22 seconds into the extra period.

On Saturday, the Bruins fell behind the visiting Capitals and failed to catch up en route to a 4-2 loss.

Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin scored two power-play goals to give the Capitals a lead they would not relinquish, scoring at the 18:39 mark of the first period and the 2:24 mark of the second. However, Boston managed to pull within a goal late in the second period.

Down 3-0 and on a two-minute power play, center Patrice Bergeron took a pass from defensmen Dougie Hamilton and wristed it past Capitals goalie Braden Holtby to pull within two at the 10:54 mark of the second period. Seven minutes later, center Gregory Campbell added his fourth goal of the season to cut the lead to 3-2. That was the closest the Bruins would come. Washington added a goal at 10:53 in the third period to ice the game.

The Bruins returned to their winning ways, though, in Sunday's 6-3 thrashing of the Rangers.

Boston responded to an early Rangrers goal with a score of their own from right wing Jarome Iginla, also adding goals from Hamilton and center Carl Soderberg in the middle period to grab a 3-1 lead over the visitors.

The Rangers cut the lead to 3-2, but at the end of the day, Campbell singlehandedly put the game away.

The center added a shorthanded goal at 9:06 into the third period and an even-strength goal four minutes later that gave the Bruins a 5-2 lead. The two teams traded goals over the remaining five minutes, resulting in the 6-3 final.

The Bruins host the Florida Panthers tonight before taking on the Capitals in a rematch of Saturday's game on Thursday.