Why the Sabres knew they could pull off Game 1’s wild third-period comeback vs. Bruins
BUFFALO – According to a sign pinned up in the 300 level of KeyBank Center, Buffalo Sabres fans had wandered 5,472 days in the desert, thirsting desperately for their first playoff game since 2010-11. In the hours leading up to puck drop for Game 1 against the Boston Bruins, officially ending Buffalo’s NHL-record drought at 14 seasons and 15 years, Sabres fans swelled outside, working themselves into a frenzy, drenching themselves in beer. Shortly before puck drop, the noise inside KeyBank exploded when mascot Sabretooth descended from the rafters, then again when hometown band Goo Goo Dolls’ “Better Days” tribute video was played on the big screen, and again with Sandra Jeanneret, wife of the late legendary broadcaster Rick Jeanneret, banged the ceremonial drum. According to Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, “You could feel the building shake.” The fans practically frothed at the mouth waiting for their first goal.
But Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins seemed hellbent on denying it, on making Buffalo crawl through the sand a little longer, for two periods. The last time the Bruins’ starting goaltender suited up in the Stanley Cup playoffs was 2023-24, when his .933 save percentage across 12 games was tops in the league. And he picked up right where he left off, on track to spoil what was supposed to be a magical postseason homecoming for the NHL’s most star-crossed franchise, turning aside 27 shots in the first two periods.
It didn’t seem to matter what the Sabres threw Swayman’s way, be they shots from the point, net-crashing collisions, scrambling scrums, tips or redirections off skates; he stopped them all, showcasing deft rebound control. The Sabres held a 22-14 edge in scoring chances at all strengths after 40 minutes, but they had nothing to show for it. They trailed 1-0, with Boston’s opening goal coming in the first period when a Morgan Geekie loose-puck one-timer beat a shaky Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen cleanly. And the Bruins appeared to land a knockout punch at 1:08 of the third period after another point-blank Geekie chance careened off the post and right to Elias Lindholm, who made it 2-0 Boston.
The home fans were restless and frustrated. They jeered the referees. They booed their own power play at times. The scars left by 15 years of constant disappointment were apparent.
But the Sabres weren’t deterred. They’d outscored opponents 101-83 in the third period during the regular season. They had the sixth-best winning percentage in the NHL when trailing after two periods. During their epic 39-9-5 run over their final 50 games, they never lost more than three games in a row, and even that happened only once. While they weren’t getting enough grade-A looks at Swayman, they were outshooting and outhitting the Bruins, and they knew they had the mental toughness to push through.
“This team doesn’t quit,” Ruff said. “They don’t give up. Let’s just go back to the [8-7 win on March 8], where Tampa built the lead late and we just came back in that game. Tonight we just said if we get one, I felt we would get the second one. The energy on the bench, the energy in the building after we got the first one, I just felt we were going to have good luck to get the next one, because we were garnering a lot of the offensive-zone play, and it felt like we could break them down and get that good chance.”
The players didn’t waver in the dressing room after two periods, nor did they crack when Boston added the insurance goal in the third. The Sabres felt they’d been here before, whether it had happened in playoff games or not.
“We’ve been in situations like this most of the season. You gain confidence from that. I think it was no different tonight,” said Sabres center Tage Thompson. “It’s a lot of our first playoff games, the energy’s a lot better, the intensity is higher, but in between periods, I thought we did a good job to stay pretty even-keel. To be honest, we outplayed them for the first two periods, controlled most of the play. And if we could get one, we’d probably get a couple more.”
The antsy crowd woke up when Thompson deposited a wrapround behind Swayman’s left pad at 12:02 of the third, finally quenching the thirst, giving Buffalo its first playoff goal since 2011. Then Thompson, using his massive wingspan, imposed his will again 5:42 later, weaving his way into the slot and firing a wrister through Swayman. Thompson delivered on the season-long mantra that captain Rasmus Dahlin championed after the game: “Dawgs have to be dawgs.”
“I think every guy in the NHL, especially on our team, is the guy that wants to go over the boards to make an impact every time they touch the sheet,” Thompson said. “If you don’t, then you probably shouldn’t be playing the sport. That’s something we try to tell each other… just look to be a game changer.”
The tie game lasted only 52 seconds before defenseman Mattias Samuelsson scored the goal of his life, ripping a seeing-eye wrister from the top of the left circle through a screen to beat Swayman, putting Buffalo up 3-2. KeyBank center exploded into all-out bedlam. It happened so fast that the Bruins could barely process it.
“I thought we were in a perfect spot, we were exactly where we wanted to play, being in this position five, six minutes left in the game, and you could tell they got a little bit frustrated,” said Bruins coach Marco Sturm. “And we made pretty much two mistakes to let them tie up the game. And obviously with the crowd behind them, all of a sudden they got some life, and all of a sudden the game is done. Very unfortunate because my guys played very well. But that’s playoffs, that’s something we have to learn the hard way.”
After Alex Tuch’s empty netter made it 4-2, Boston provided the slightest scare in the form of a knuckling David Pastrnak backhander that found the net with eight seconds to go, but the Sabres held on to win 4-3.
Coach Lindy Ruff called the win as sweet as any in his coaching career. And it had to feel extra sweet for the 19,070 Sabres faithful in attendance and wrestling with their PTSD after 15 years of failure. The Sabres reportedly became the first team in NHL history to trail 2-0 in a playoff game with eight minutes or fewer remaining and come back to win in regulation. In doing so, they reminded their supporters that they’re truly a new team. And that they’re capable of accomplishing pretty much anything in these playoffs.
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POST SPONSORED BY bet365
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