Sabres Bruins – Buffalo beat Boston 4-1 in Game 6 to reach the second round for the first time since 2007.
In a game that turned tense late, the Buffalo Sabres sent the Boston Bruins home with a 4-1 victory in Game 6, clinching a 4-2 series win and moving on to the NHL’s second round.
Buffalo jumped ahead early as Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson scored in the first period. then Zach Benson added another goal just after the third period began.. Josh Norris later sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal, while Alex Lyon made 25 saves to keep Boston in check.. The Bruins’ only goal came from David Pastrnak.
This win marks a rare postseason return to momentum for Buffalo, which has been working to turn its playoff chances into lasting runs.
The series advance also extends beyond a single night of scoring.. With this result. the Sabres earned a spot in the second round for the first time since 2007. ending a long stretch that included a playoff drought.. That same 2007 run ended in the conference finals, leaving this team to chase a new chapter of postseason success.
Meanwhile, the Bruins’ season under coach Marco Sturm ended with frustration, including a difficult pattern at home.. Boston reached the postseason in Sturm’s first year. but it also has struggled to carry playoff results at its own rink. with losses now stretching across its most recent home playoff games.
In this context, Buffalo’s ability to keep control early and then manage the game late mattered as much as the goals themselves, especially once emotions started to rise.
The intensity spilled over with 1:31 remaining when Benson tripped Charlie McAvoy. McAvoy responded with a slash, and both players were sent to the penalty box as the finish tightened. Even with Boston pressing, Buffalo maintained its lead long enough to secure the series-clinching margin.
In the next round, the Sabres will face the winner of the Montreal-Tampa Bay series. That matchup went to seven games after Tampa Bay won 1-0 in overtime on Friday night in Montreal, setting up another high-stakes path for Buffalo.
For the Sabres, the broader significance is clear: the organization has proven it can break through and win playoff series again, and now it has to carry that confidence into a fresh round.