04/19/26 10:48:00
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04/19 22:46 CDT Sabres score 4 3rd-period goals to beat the Bruins 4-3 in
playoff opener
Sabres score 4 3rd-period goals to beat the Bruins 4-3 in playoff opener
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) --- Mattias Samuelson broke a tie with 3:24 left and Buffalo
overcame a two-goal deficit in the final eight minutes to beat the Boston
Bruins 4-3 on Sunday night in the Sabres' first playoff game in 15 years.
Tage Thompson scored goals 3:42 apart to tie it, and Alex Tuch sealed the
victory by scoring into an empty net with 1:12 left in nearly blowing the roof
off the arena.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 17 shots.
Buffalo hosts Game 2 of the first-round series Tuesday night.
The playoff win was Buffalo's first at home --- and first overall --- since a
1-0 victory over Philadelphia in Game 4 of a first-round series April 20, 2011.
The Sabres proceeded to lose the series in seven games. The Sabres won their
first Atlantic Division this season and snapped an NHL-record 14-season playoff
drought.
Thompson dismissed the narrative of the team lacking playoff experience by
saying players drew on the frustrations of going so long without a postseason
appearance.
"I think eight years of adversity is enough experience to get you ready for
something like this. I think any time you go eight years not making playoffs
and then it's finally here, the last thing you want is regret," Thompson said.
"There's just a heightened feeling of hunger. You just don't want to let this
opportunity slip. I thought tonight was really important to make a statement
and set our standard."
David Pastrnak scored with seven seconds remaining, and had two assists for
Boston. Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm also scored for the Bruins. who
finished the regular season 33-2-4 when leading after two periods. Jeremy
Swayman made 34 saves.
"I really don't know," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said, when asked what happened.
"I thought we were in the perfect spot. We were exactly where we wanted to
play, being in that position five or six minutes left in the game," the
first-year coach said. "That's something we have to learn again the hard way.
We just have to stick with it for 60 minutes."
After going 5,473 days between playoff games the Sabres delivered a stunning
victory.
Trailing 2-0 after Lindholm scored 1:08 into the third period, Buffalo finally
caught a spark from Thompson, who led the team with 40 goals this season.
Thompson's first goal came on a wrap-around backhander with 7:58 remaining. He
then tied it by getting to a loose puck to the left of the Boston net, and
firing a low shot inside the far post with 4:16 remaining.
With the crowd still buzzing, Samuelsson scored 52 seconds later. Teammate Jack
Quinn got to the puck deep in the Bruins zone and fed Samuelsson, who snapped a
high shot in from the left circle.
"I don't think the belief that was ever wavered," Samuelsson said. "I just
think we just had a lot of belief within the group. Just tried to ride the
momentum with the fans and it worked out nice."
This marked just the second time Buffalo overcame a two-goal third-period
deficit. The other time also happened against Boston in a Game 4 first-round
series-clinching first-round 6-5 overtime win in 1993. It's best remembered in
Buffalo as the "May Day!" game with Brad May scoring the decisive goal to
secure the Sabres' first playoff series victory in a decade.
The Bruins, the Eastern Conference's seventh-seeded team, unraveled in making
their return to the playoffs following a one-year hiatus.
"We just couldn't finish it. That's the frustrating point, but it's a long
series," Sturm said. "We're prepared. We came to Buffalo wanting to get a win.
We didn't get one today, but we're going to try our best to get one the next
game."
Pastrnak's three-point outing upped his career playoff total to 90 points, and
moved him ahead of Cam Neely and Wayne Cashman for ninth on the team list, and
two back of Bobby Orr.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and
https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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