NHL playoffs – Buffalo routs Boston 6-1 to surge toward a sweep, while multiple first-round matchups dominate Sunday’s NHL playoff schedule update from Misryoum.
The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs kept rolling on Sunday with a packed first-round slate, and one result instantly shifted the mood: the Buffalo Sabres crushed the Boston Bruins 6-1.
For readers tracking the 2026 NHL playoffs bracket. Sunday delivered exactly what the early rounds are meant to produce—momentum swings. series separation. and a reminder that one sharp night can reshape an entire path.. Buffalo seized control early, and by the time Boston finally scratched the scoreboard late, the contest felt decided.
Sabres’ 6-1 statement flips the series script
Buffalo took the kind of control you can’t coach away: four goals in the first period. a relentless attack all night. and enough finishing to turn defense into offense.. Peyton Krebs opened the scoring just four minutes in. assisted by Alex Tuch. setting a fast pace that forced Boston to react instead of dictate.
Bowen Byram then delivered the kind of end-to-end punctuation teams want in playoff hockey—his third goal of the series capped an opening-frame surge that left the Bruins in a hole they could never fully climb out of.. With Buffalo already ahead 4-0 after the first. the rest of the game became about how wide the gap could get.
In the third period, the Sabres added two more goals to put the exclamation point on the outcome.. Tuch and Beck Malenstyn found the net within two minutes of each other. turning what could have been a grinding endgame into a route.. Even the late tension that boiled over into a brief scuffle near the end couldn’t disguise the reality of the scoreline.
Sean Kuraly eventually spoiled the shutout with a shorthanded goal with less than a minute left, but the damage was already done. Buffalo piled up pressure—35 shots on goal—and goalie Alex Lyon was steady enough that Boston’s late efforts amounted to damage control rather than a comeback.
What Sunday’s results mean for the bracket
This was not just one game; it was another weekend where the bracket began to sort itself into likely outcomes. The Sabres now lead their series 3-1, and the pattern is clear: Buffalo is generating offense at the exact moment playoff opponents least want to absorb it.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Misryoum will keep an eye on the matchups where series positioning can feel like a countdown. Colorado enters its game against Los Angeles with a 3-0 lead, meaning the Kings are fighting not only for survival but for momentum that can carry into an elimination game.
In the same spirit of urgency. Tampa Bay faces Montreal in a series situation where the momentum is less settled. with the Canadiens holding a 2-1 advantage.. Over in the Western Conference. Edmonton plays Anaheim in a tightly held series marked by a 2-1 lead for the Ducks.. Those matchups matter because they can swing both the bracket picture and the psychological temperature of the series.
Schedule watch: who plays when on April 26
Sunday’s playoff slate featured six first-round games, and the order matters for teams watching their opponents’ responses in real time. Buffalo and Boston kicked off the day, followed by Colorado versus Los Angeles at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay vs. Montreal followed at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Later in the night, Edmonton takes on Anaheim at 9:30 p.m.. ET, while Philadelphia hosts Pittsburgh at 7:00 p.m.. ET in another matchup that carries immediate bracket implications, with the Flyers leading 3-1.. Vegas also has a Sunday evening date, meeting Utah at 9:30 p.m.. ET with the Golden Knights holding a 2-1 series advantage.
That mix—some series one step away from wrapping up, others still too close to call—creates a playoff rhythm that feels different from regular-season scheduling. It’s not simply about who wins; it’s about which team looks composed under pressure and which one starts paying for mistakes early.
The playoff detail behind Buffalo’s dominance
The most telling part of Buffalo’s win wasn’t just the score—it was the shape of the game. Scoring four times in the first period did more than build a lead; it collapsed Boston’s margin for error and forced them to take chances that can backfire in playoff structures.
Boston did get a late payoff from special teams when Kuraly converted a shorthanded opportunity. but even that moment landed when the shutout was already gone and the series position was already tilting.. The Bruins also made a notable goalie change. pulling Jeremy Swayman in the third and replacing him with Joonas Korpisalo for the final minutes.
From a competitive standpoint, those decisions are rarely random.. They reflect whether a coach believes the game can still be pulled back or whether the priority shifts to managing the remainder of the night and learning without losing control.. Buffalo’s ability to keep attacking while Boston cycled personnel underscores a key playoff trait: a team that can keep its identity even when the opponent tries to slow the pace.
As Misryoum looks ahead, the big question is whether Buffalo can carry this level of intensity into the next stage of the series. For Boston, the question is just as blunt: can the Bruins change the game’s rhythm before another early-period deficit becomes the deciding factor again.