Boston gets a scheduling clash

Boston’s two biggest spring teams are set to start the playoffs on the same day, with the Celtics and Bruins both opening Sunday, April 19. (nba.com) (nhl.com) The Celtics, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, host the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series at TD Garden. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Bruins open their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Buffalo Sabres at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Buffalo won the Atlantic Division, and Boston entered as the East’s first wild card. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) That stacks Boston’s postseason into an afternoon-and-night doubleheader, with the teams playing in different cities and different leagues on the same calendar day. The National Basketball Association’s first round began Saturday, April 18, while the National Hockey League spread its Game 1s from April 18 through April 20. (nba.com) (nhl.com) The matchup timing also lands both openers at the front edge of each league’s bracket. Boston’s Game 2 against Philadelphia is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, and the Bruins’ series schedule was set to continue after the Sunday opener in Buffalo. (nba.com) (nhl.com) The Celtics drew Philadelphia after the 76ers advanced through the play-in path to claim the East’s No. 7 seed. NBA.com’s series page lists Boston-Philadelphia as the league’s most-played playoff rivalry, with this meeting marked as the 23rd postseason series between the franchises. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Bruins’ opponent carries its own long arc: Buffalo is back in the postseason for the first time since 2010-11, ending what NHL.com called the league’s longest active playoff drought. The Sabres also have not won a playoff series since 2006-07. (nhl.com) (nhl.com) For Boston fans, Sunday now runs from a 1 p.m. tipoff at TD Garden to a 7:30 p.m. puck drop in Buffalo. The city gets both playoff openers in one day, just not one at a time. (nba.com) (nhl.com)