Sabres historic comeback
- The Buffalo Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in Game 1 after trailing by four goals in regulation. (thebiglead.com) - The key specific: Buffalo became the first team in NHL postseason history to win in regulation after a four-goal deficit. (thebiglead.com) - Playoff trackers say results like this immediately shift series pressure and storyline focus as the first round unfolds. (espn.com) (x.com)
Buffalo opened the Stanley Cup Playoffs by erasing a four-goal hole and beating Boston 5-4 in regulation in Game 1, a result the league had never seen in the postseason before. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The game turned in the final eight minutes Sunday at KeyBank Center, where Buffalo scored four straight goals after trailing by multiple goals without a goal of its own that late in the third period. NHL EDGE called it the first regulation playoff win in league history from that spot. (nhl.com) Tage Thompson drove the rally with two goals and an assist in his playoff debut, and Mattias Samuelsson put Buffalo ahead 52 seconds after Thompson tied it late. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 17 saves, while Jeremy Swayman stopped 34 shots for Boston. (nhl.com) Buffalo had not played a postseason game since April 26, 2011, and had not won one since April 22, 2011. ESPN called Sunday the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years. (nhl.com) (espn.com) That gap is part of why the finish landed so hard in Buffalo. Thompson said the Sabres had “eight years of adversity” behind them, and captain Rasmus Dahlin said Thompson “showed up and led the team” when the game broke open. (espn.com) The numbers underneath the comeback were not fluky. Buffalo outshot Boston 38-20, and NHL EDGE said the Sabres were tied for sixth in the league in high-danger goals during the regular season, with Thompson in the 93rd percentile among forwards in high-danger shots on goal. (nhl.com) Boston still got a three-point night from David Pastrnak and a goal plus two assists from Morgan Geekie, but the Bruins left Game 1 chasing the series. Geekie said, “It’s a seven-game series,” after the loss, with Game 2 set for Tuesday night in Buffalo. (nhl.com) For one night, Buffalo’s return to the playoffs looked less like a cameo than a warning. A team that waited 15 years for this stage took it back in 6:46. (espn.com)
