April 17, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) reacts after scoring a goal during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

“We represent the city of Boston and we want to make sure we represent them well. All you can do is go out there and give it all you’ve got. Whether it gives a little bit of joy, or excitement to some people, it’s going to take a while to heal from this, and we don’t expect tomorrow to be the day that everything’s going to be OK, but you’ve got to start somewhere and tomorrow’s a great time for us to go out there and play our hearts out for all the right reasons.” Coach Claude Julien on his thoughts for tonight’s game.

The Boston Bruins (26-11-4) were home tonight against the Buffalo Sabres (18-19-6). If you could imagine how much energy was going to be in the TD Garden tonight, you would have needed to multiply it by a factor of five. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the National Anthem. I’ve seen it twice, and a half hour afterwards, I’m still a mess. “It was extremely emotional,” Brad Marchand said. “I was fighting back tears.” Watching players like Andrew Ference and Shawn Thornton sing, and I mean sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’. (They are both native Canadians,  but they have made Boston a home for themselves and their families.)

Daniel Paille and Chris Kelly had multi point games tonight.  Both got a goal (with Kelly’s being his 100th career goal), and the assist on the other’s goal. Dan Paille played like a man possessed on the PK in the later periods. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get the NESN 7th Player Award. (I only voted for him like a dozen times, personally.)

The Bad News: The Bruins dropped their third in a row. After holding on to the lead for the majority of the game, an Andrew Ference interference penalty (It’s a pity, especially with the amazing game he played tonight.) led to the Buffalo Sabres getting a power play goal by Cody Hodgson with twenty seven seconds left in regulation and tied the game at two all. Drew Stafford got the last shot in the shootout past Anton Khudobin to seal the deal for the Sabres, and give them two desperately needed points in an attempt to salvage the eighth seed in the conference.

The Good News: The Black and Gold clinched their postseason berth for the sixth straight season and pulled even in points with Montreal atop the Northeast Division. The Bruins are a game up on the Canadiens, and it’s likely to be a photo finish. At this point, it’s safe to say that the best the Bruins can hope for is to win the division (for the last time, as the new division rules will take effect at the start of next season), since the Pittsburg Penguins have a commanding nine point lead with just six games left to play. The B’s next game is also at home against the Penguins on Friday.

The Amazing News: Since I’ve become a hockey fan, I always thought that  the Buffalo Sabres and their fans were some of the nicest people you could disagree about hockey with. Tonight the team and the fans proved it. The Sabres all donned the blue and yellow ‘Boston Strong’ decals on their helmets. After they pulled out the shootout win, they went on the ice with the Bruins to share a salute to the 18,000 fans who went through an extensive security process to get to watch the game. The Sabres showed that they were a first-class organization. Sabres fans in kind had grafted various Bruins symbols into their jerseys in solidarity.

Ryan Miller, who won the game for Buffalo with forty one saves, commented on the mutual salute after the game. “Obviously, we’re more than open to something like that, It’s a game more about coming together and giving people here something a bit more normal today. I’m proud to be a part of it and just wanted to give a simple salute.” (Miller was part of the US Olympic hockey team in 2010.)

In the end, the Bruins lost a game. In the end, the city of Boston won the game.

Mar 31, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30) makes a stick save on a shot by Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) during the third period at the First Niagara Center. Bruins beat the Sabres 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Just two days after the horrific bombings that took place at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, the Boston Bruins will hope to clinch a playoff spot against the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday night.

Rightfully so, Boston’s game on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators was postponed because of the incident that occurred just a little over three miles away from TD Garden. Most players had already arrived at the stadium and were going through pre-game routines before they were told to leave because of the game being postponed.

Boston was back to practice Tuesday morning in Wilmington, Massachusetts with a much more different vibe then usual. With the amount of people killed and injured on Monday afternoon, it had to be in the back of player’s minds during practice. On a positive note, Patrice Bergeron is expected to make his return to the lineup as he has been out with a concussion. On Tuesday afternoon, it was learned that Bruins’ forward Jordan Caron was sent down to Providence. With his spot open, it is likely that Swedish superstar Carl Soderberg will make his debut as a Bruin. It is still unsure if he will play but he is expected to be on the ice for morning skate.

After practice today many of the Bruins’ players offered words about what occurred on Monday. Captain Zdeno Chara said, “I think we all can play for each other and through these tough times, make people cheer” and Brad Marchand added, “Boston is going to come together and unite, and will just make us all stronger.”

If anything, the Boston community will come together on Wednesday night by cheering for a team that they love and so passionately cheer for. By going out and playing their hearts out, it will mean so much to fans, and give them something to be smile about. I know when Boston scores their first goal Wednesday night the Garden will be as loud as it has ever been this whole season.

Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be aired on NBC Sports Network.

Mar 31, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin (35) and Buffalo Sabres center Jochen Hecht (55) go after the loose puck during the second period at the First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins have been more or less disappointed by the work of the Bruins’ first line.  In the last few weeks, the Krejci line has stepped up and have been a force again in the NHL. The Bruins earned themselves two more points in a rare shutout win against the Buffalo Sabres. “When things haven’t really been going for us, we’ve kind of got frustrated and let it get the better of us,” B’s forward and resurging butt kicker and name taker Milan Lucic said. “But today, we just tried to stay positive and tried to stick with the game plan and stay patient, and it worked out for us.”

“It was about staying positive and sticking with the game plan and doing the right things, but every period we talked about getting a little better in certain areas, and guys answered well,” Coach Claude Julien said. “After the second period, we needed a better net-front presence and better net drive, and I think when you look at the goals, that’s what happened.” Was it the cleanest game they’ve ever played? No, but we got to see more of the defensive minded two way hockey we know the Bruins can play. We also got to see that kind of play on the road, something the Bruins have been weak on. Coach Julien felt the same way.  ”Whether it’s been at home or on the road, we haven’t been playing that well (lately), so it’s important just to play our game again,”

The lines played well, and the Krejci line did its work tonight.  David Krejci himself broke the stalemate halfway through the third period.  Nathan Horton skated got aggressive towards the net. and While his incoming backhand was stopped by the Sabres’ Ryan Miller,  Krejci  got the rebound and the loose puck past Miller to get the Bruins on the board, notching up his eighth goal of the season. Krejci helped set up the primary assist on Horton’s goal three minutes later.  #46 used his speed to race up the left side of the ice where he found Horton ready in front of the net. Horton’s tap in got him his eleventh goal of the season.

The real star of the show tonight was Bruins’ back up goaltender Anton Khudobin. Khudobin stopped all twenty six shots that came at him in the game.  The Kazakhstani goalie got his first got his first NHL shutout since playing for the Wild in the ’2010-’11 season.  He was especially impressive in the first period. The Bruins were having trouble getting themselves up to pace, and it was Dobby’s hard work in that first period that kept the Bruins alive, and Buffalo scoreless.  Matt Bartkowski was thrilled with Khudobin’s performance (Bartkowski also scored his first career NHL point with an assist on the Krejci goal.) “The first 10 minutes, we wouldn’t have won the game if he didn’t play that well. They should have had three or four goals, definitely. … That first 10 minutes was huge.”

Khudobin now has a 7-3 record, with a .925 save percentage, and a 2.07 goals against average. Khudobin’s numbers are in the top ten now for goalies in save percentage and goals against (placing him in the same field as Tuukka Rask.)