BOSTON -- Thomas Vanek scored three goals and Jocelyn Thibault shut out the Boston Bruins in his first start since Jan. 21 as the Buffalo Sabres ended their season with a 3-0 win Saturday. The victory came too late for the Sabres. It was their first game since they were eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday night in a 3-1 loss at Montreal. Boston, which clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 win at Ottawa on Friday night, will finish seventh or eighth in the Eastern Conference and play Montreal or Pittsburgh in the first round. The Bruins lost all eight of their games against the Canadiens, seven in regulation, but are 2-1-1 against the Penguins. Boston ended the regular-season with a 4-1-3 record in its last eight games. Last season, the Bruins lost their last six games, went 1-10-1 in their last 12 and missed postseason play for the second straight year. Buffalo's win also guaranteed the New York Rangers and New Jersey will meet in another first-round series. Vanek scored his 34th and 35th goals in the second period. Derek Roy assisted on the first, giving him at least one point in the last 12 games, the longest current streak in the NHL. Vanek got the hat trick on an unselfish play by Roy, who could have scored easily into an empty net. But he passed to Vanek, skating a few feet to his left, for his 36th goal with 43 seconds left in the game.
