Sabres rout Bruins, Boston on brink
- Buffalo Sabres crushed the Boston Bruins 6-1 in Game 4 on Sunday, scoring four first-period goals to seize a 3-1 series lead. - Peyton Krebs, Josh Doan and Bowen Byram helped bury Boston early, while Alex Lyon stopped 23 shots and Jeremy Swayman allowed six goals. - Florida missed the playoffs after back-to-back Cup wins, guaranteeing a new champion this spring. (nhl.com)
Buffalo put Boston on the brink Sunday, rolling to a 6-1 win in Game 4 and taking a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. (nhl.com) (espn.com) The Sabres scored four times in the first period at TD Garden, with Peyton Krebs opening at 4:17, Josh Doan scoring at 7:10, Zach Benson at 9:15 and Bowen Byram at 14:24. (espn.com) (nhl.com) Beck Malenstyn and Alex Tuch added third-period goals, and Alex Lyon made 23 saves for Buffalo. Sean Kuraly scored Boston’s only goal with 39 seconds left. (espn.com) (nhl.com) Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 of 29 shots before Joonas Korpisalo replaced him in the third period. Boston also lost Viktor Arvidsson to an upper-body injury late in the first period. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The result flipped the pressure squarely onto Boston before Game 5 on Tuesday, April 28, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The Sabres need one more win to reach the second round. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) Buffalo entered the series as the Atlantic Division’s No. 1 seed, and Lindy Ruff said the opening period in Game 4 was “the best period we’ve played all year.” Boston entered as the East’s first wild card. (nhl.com) Boston’s reaction afterward was blunt. Charlie McAvoy said, “It was just an embarrassing performance,” while coach Marco Sturm said, “We should be embarrassed because it was embarrassing.” (nhl.com) (bleacherreport.com) This postseason will end with a new Stanley Cup champion after Florida missed the playoffs, ending its bid for a third straight title. Buffalo, which last reached the postseason in 2011, now has a chance to close out the series at home. (nhl.com) (espn.com) For Boston, the path is simple now: win Tuesday in Buffalo or the season ends where Game 4 unraveled, in the first period. (nhl.com)
