Sabres vs. Bruins scheduled

Buffalo and Boston opened their first-round National Hockey League playoff series on Sunday, April 19, with Game 1 set for 7:30 p.m. at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. (nhl.com) The Buffalo Sabres finished first in the Atlantic Division with 109 points and drew the Boston Bruins, the Eastern Conference’s first wild card at 100 points, in the best-of-seven matchup. (espn.com) The National Hockey League’s full first-round schedule put Game 2 in Buffalo on April 21, then shifted the series to Boston for Games 3 and 4 on April 23 and April 26. Games 5 through 7 were scheduled for April 28, April 30 and May 2 if needed. (nhl.com) All Round 1 games were set to air on MSG in the Sabres’ local territory, while ESPN carried Game 1 nationally in the United States. The Bruins-Sabres opener was one of four Game 1s on Sunday’s playoff slate. (nhl.com) (espn.com) The matchup drew extra attention because Buffalo entered the postseason after ending a 14-season playoff drought. Sunday’s opener was the Sabres’ first playoff game in 15 years. (indystar.com) (espn.com) Boston brought more playoff history into the series. The Bruins had won six of the teams’ previous eight postseason meetings, and the clubs had not faced each other in the playoffs since 2010. (nesn.com) (boston25news.com) DraftKings Network highlighted Buffalo-Boston as a featured betting matchup for opening day, reflecting interest in a series that paired a division winner with a longtime rival and recent playoff regular. (dknetwork.draftkings.com) By the end of Sunday night, the schedule had already turned into a result: Buffalo rallied for a 4-3 win in Game 1, sending the series back to the same rink for Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21. (espn.com)