BOSTON -- Brad Marchand is on pace to have the best season of his career. On Saturday night, he secured a place in the Boston Bruins' record books.

Marchand became the first player in franchise history to win a game with an overtime penalty shot, converting midway through the extra session to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden.

It was the 24th goal of the season for the right winger, the most by any Bruin this year and just four fewer than his career high set in 2011-12.

"I talked to a guy this summer and he said something that stuck with me: 'A ceiling is what you make it,'" Marchand said. "If you believe you can hit a certain point, then that's what you're going to hit."

It was Marchand's fourth goal in three games and his fourth game-winner of the season.

Boston got an early goal from left winger Loui Eriksson. Right winger Sam Reinhart had the lone goal for Buffalo.

The teams needed extra time to determine a result for the second straight game after the Bruins edged the Sabres two nights earlier in a shootout. This one appeared headed for another shootout until 2:28 into overtime when Marchand drove into the Buffalo zone with the puck and knocked the stick away from Buffalo's Rasmus Ristolainen with a deft move.

The Sabres defenseman hauled Marchand down in front of Buffalo goaltender Robin Lehner and the winger calmly flipped a backhand shot over Lehner, improving to 3 of 4 lifetime on penalty shots and 2 of 2 this season.

"I was tired, I was just trying to catch my breath," Marchand said. "I was just trying to read what (Lehner) was doing, and luckily it went in."

The Bruins improved to 28-18-6, tying them for second in the Atlantic Division. The Sabres fell to 21-26-6 but moved ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs for seventh in the division.

"This is one that I think we have to be happy with," Marchand said. "We didn't play our best game, and it was back-and-forth, but ultimately we got the two points, and every point is huge."

The Sabres were clearly displeased with the call that ended the game. As "Dirty Water" played over the Garden speakers, Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges spoke emphatically to the officials in protest of the rare penalty shot decision.

"Marchand, he does what he does, you know?" said Lehner, who made 36 saves. "It wasn't even a penalty. (The referee) calls a penalty after a game like that, it's just -- honestly, I'm an honest guy and I thought that was -- I mean like both of those refs are good refs, don't get me wrong, but that was, oh, my God, I don't know what to say, man.

"That's just embarrassing. I hope he's embarrassed. I am embarrassed -- it shouldn't end like that."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first overtime penalty shot game-winner in the NHL since April 4, 2015, when Dallas Stars center Cody Eakin converted against the Nashville Predators.

Marchand, obviously, had no qualms with the call.

"He didn't have his stick and he grabbed me there, so I think by the new rules it's a penalty shot, and it's nice that they gave it to us," he said.

Despite going without a shot in the first 6:55 of the game, the Bruins came out of the first period with a 1-0 lead thanks to Eriksson. Right winger David Pastrnak's forecheck started a pretty play that saw center David Krejci pass to Pastrnak, who found Eriksson alone to Lehner's left with all the time in the world to put the Bruins up 1-0.

Eriksson's goal snapped his nine-game goal-less streak and a four-game point-less streak.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask made a good reflex save on Sabres center Brian Gionta early in the period, one of his 37 in the game, but was otherwise mostly untested.

Reinhart evened it for the Sabres at 10:53 of the second period. A turnover by Bruins right winger Brett Connolly near the blue line brought the puck to center Ryan O'Reilly behind the net and he found left winger Jamie McGinn in the slot. Rask stopped McGinn's shot, but Reinhart tapped the rebound home for his second goal in as many games.

Both teams had good looks in the early part of the third period. Pastrnak put a shot off the crossbar behind Lehner 3:42 into the period, and O'Reilly had a deflected shot wind up on his stick with a wide-open net five minutes later, but he put his attempt over the bar.

McGinn had a chance to give the Sabres the lead with 7:13 to go in regulation after getting sprung in alone on Rask, but Boston defenseman Dennis Seidenberg made a desperation dive to break up McGinn's bid and the Bruins killed the ensuing tripping penalty.

Given the way the game ended, the Sabres were frustrated not to get a penalty shot out of the sequence.

"There's separation from McGinn and Seidenberg, and (Seidenberg) goes down, he clearly dives and goes down to break up the play, which he wasn't able to do, took the feet out," Bylsma said. "So yeah, you like consistency. That wasn't a penalty shot, then not sure the other one was, either."

NOTES: Sabres LW Marcus Foligno missed Saturday's game after suffering a lower-body injury during Boston's shootout win in Buffalo on Feb. 4. ... The Sabres called up LW Daniel Catenacci on Friday, and the 2011 third-round selection made his NHL debut Saturday night. ... Bruins D Joe Morrow was inserted into the lineup after four straight healthy scratches. D Colin Miller took Morrow's place as a scratch. ... Sabres D Mike Weber re-entered the lineup after two straight scratches, while D Jake McCabe was scratched for the first time in six games. ... Bruins LW Loui Eriksson entered Saturday's game three goals short of 200 for his NHL career. ... Sabres G Robin Lehner has faced the Bruins more times than any other team, going 3-6-2 in 12 games against Boston. ... Buffalo C Tyler Ennis skated for the second straight day on Saturday after the team's morning practice. Ennis entered Saturday night having missed the previous 15 games with a concussion.