Buffalo, NY (My Sportsbook) - Mikael Tellqvist made 34 saves as the Buffalo Sabres ended their season with a 6-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

Thomas Vanek had two goals and an assist and Matt Ellis and Tim Connolly each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (41-32-9), who finished the season with three straight wins, but will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Daniel Paille and Chris Butler also lit the lamp in the win.

"It's disappointing cause for a while there we were about sixth in the conference," said Butler. "We were placed to continue to rise and for whatever reason we failed to do so. We felt like we let ourselves down."

Mark Recchi scored the lone goal while Manny Fernandez was charged with all six goals on 34 shots in the loss for the Bruins, who have dropped two of three.

"This is just one of those situations where you have to turn the page quickly and come back with a strong performance," said Boston coach Claude Julien. "We have a game tomorrow and a chance to bounce back with a better effort."

Boston, which has already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, missed out on a chance for the Presidents' Trophy as the loss gives San Jose the best record overall in the NHL. Boston will face Montreal, which lost to Pittsburgh on Saturday, in the first round of the playoffs.

Buffalo jumped all over Boston in the first period to the tune of four goals.

The first goal came just 3:34 in as Vanek blasted a shot from the left point that was stopped, but Connolly chipped in the rebound.

At the 11:29 mark of the frame, Butler fired a slap shot from the top of the left circle that went through a screen and past Fernandez.

A bit over four minutes later on the rush, a pass by Jason Pominville from the right side to the left was one-timed in by Vanek.

The Sabres then made it a 4-0 game with 2:52 left in the first when Ellis blasted a shot from the right point that was sitting on the goal line before Paille tipped it in.

Ellis' wrister on the fly from the right circle found the back of the net 1:36 into the second to give Buffalo a 5-0 lead.

Recchi's tip-in on the power play with 6:05 left in the game allowed Boston to spoil Tellqvist's shutout bid.

Skating on the power play, Vanek shoved the puck into the net from the goal crease in the final moments of the game to reach 40 goals for the season.

Game Notes

The Sabres went 23-15-3 as the hosts this season...Boston closes out its regular season in New York against the Islanders on Sunday...Buffalo took four of the six games against Boston this season...Boston went 1-for-4 on the power play while Buffalo went 1-for-3...Buffalo defenseman Teppo Numminen, who might have played the last game of his 20-year career, had one assist in the contest.