BUFFALO, N.Y. – Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said his surging team can get better. If Tim Thomas keeps playing this well, there might be no limit to how good they can be.

Thomas made 33 saves in his seventh straight win, and Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder each had a goal and assist to lift the Bruins to a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

Thomas (7-0), who entered with a 0.50 goals-against average after consecutive shutouts, had his shutout streak of 167 minutes, 12 seconds snapped when Drew Stafford’s second-period goal made it 4-1.

“Right now we’re feeling pretty good, but at the same time we can get better,” Chara said. “There’s always room to improve. But overall, yeah, it’s nice to be winning.”

After losing 5-2 to Phoenix in the season opener, Boston is 6-1 behind the standout play of Thomas, who allowed more than one goal for the first time this season. Thomas tied his career high for longest winning streak.

Thomas’ best save came as the Sabres’ 37-second, two-man advantage was winding down with 13 minutes to go. He dived and reached behind with the paddle of his stick to deny Derek Roy’s stuff-in chance at the right post.

Patrice Bergeron, Blake Wheeler and Milan Lucic also scored for Boston (7-2), which set a franchise record by winning its fifth consecutive road game to open a season.

“Everybody’s playing pretty good,” Bruins Coach Claude Julien said. “We don’t have any passengers, everybody’s working hard and everybody’s committed.”

 


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