Bruins embarrassed by Sabres in 6-0 loss

So much for that progress the Bruins thought they'd made over last weekend.

The Stanley Cup champions thought they had improved, but still lost at home to the Penguins last Saturday, then went to Washington and won as things continued to get better.

Then, Wednesday night... thud!

The worst game of the year.

The only thing the Bruins, 5-6-1 in their last 12 games and without back-to-back wins since Jan. 10 and 12, won in the 6-0 loss to the last-place Sabres was the fights. Other than that, there was nothing, as the Bruins surrendered a season high in goals, two of them going in off their own players and the last one directly off a giveaway by defenseman Joe Corvo behind the net.

They even lost the most important call of the game, with a goal that would have tied things 1-1 in the first period waved off by ref Rob Martell, who ruled, incorrectly by all replays, that right wing Rich Peverley had made incidental contact with goalie Ryan Miller as left wing Milan Lucic tipped it center Chris Kelly's shot.

From then on it was all Buffalo, a team fighting to get into the playoff mix, as the Bruins suffered their worst loss since March 6, 2008.

Tuukka Rask, losing his fourth straight start, was gone after giving up three goals on the shots, the third a backhander that shouldn't have beaten him, did, then hit the post and then hit his body and went in. Tim Thomas relieved and was a bit better but also gave up three.

"It's been a while since we had a loss like this. Maybe it's the best," said left wing Milan Lucic. "Maybe it's a wakeup call and shows that we need to be much better and we can't take anyone lightly no matter who they are."

The Bruins, who still trail the idle Rangers by three points for the Eastern Conference lead, come home to play the Predators Saturday and then the Rangers next Tuesday night before leaving on a six-game road trip.

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