Sabres rally past Bruins
- The Buffalo Sabres came from behind to beat the Boston Bruins 4–3 in a playoff game. (x.com) - The win was marked by a late comeback that shifted momentum in the series. (x.com) - The result tightens the Atlantic race and adds urgency to Boston’s adjustments. (x.com)
Buffalo erased a 2-0 third-period deficit with four late goals and beat Boston 4-3 in Game 1 on April 19 at KeyBank Center. (nhl.com) Tage Thompson started the push at 12:02 of the third period, scored again at 15:44, and Mattias Samuelsson put Buffalo ahead at 16:36. Alex Tuch added an empty-net goal at 18:48, and David Pastrnak scored on a late power play with eight seconds left. (espn.com) Boston led on goals from Morgan Geekie in the first period and Elias Lindholm 1:08 into the third, but managed only 20 shots while Buffalo finished with 38. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 17 saves for the Sabres. (espn.com) The game was Buffalo’s first playoff appearance since 2011, after the club ended an NHL-record 14-season postseason drought and won the Atlantic Division this year. It was also the Sabres’ first playoff win in 15 years. (espn.com) That opener changed the shape of the series immediately because Buffalo entered as the Atlantic winner and opened at home, while Boston arrived as the Eastern Conference’s first wild card. After Game 1, the Sabres led the best-of-seven series 1-0. (nhl.com) The rally was rare by playoff standards: ESPN reported Buffalo became just the second team to overcome a multigoal deficit in the final eight minutes and still win in regulation in a postseason game. NHL.com’s recap logged three Buffalo goals in a 4:34 span late in the third. (espn.com) (nhl.com) Game 2 was scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, again in Buffalo, before the series shifted to Boston for Games 3 and 4. For a team that had not played a postseason game in 15 years, Buffalo turned one third period into home-ice control. (nhl.com)
