Sabres four-goal – Buffalo erupted with four goals in the opening period, beating Boston 6-1 to take a 3-1 lead and set up a chance to close the series in Game 5.
BOSTON — The kind of first period that changes a playoff series arrived early for the Buffalo Sabres, and the Bruins couldn’t recover.
Buffalo’s 6-1 win on Sunday took the wind out of Boston’s home ice momentum and stretched the Sabres’ advantage to a 3-1 series lead.. Josh Doan’s goal and assist came during an explosive stretch. and Alex Lyon turned aside 21 shots as the Sabres delivered a performance built on speed. discipline. and ruthless finishing.
The turning point was plain from the scoreboard almost immediately: Buffalo scored four times in the first period to race to a 4-0 lead.. Peyton Krebs opened the scoring at 4:17. Doan struck less than three minutes later. and Zach Benson added another two minutes after that.. Bowen Byram then made it 4-0 with a goal at 14:24. sending a loud message to the Bruins that Boston’s best defensive answers would not arrive in time.
For Boston, the task of avoiding elimination was always demanding, but the margin for error disappeared after the early goals.. The Bruins had needed to win at home to avoid moving to the brink. yet they instead spent the night chasing the game—an unenviable position for any team. especially one forced to play with urgency rather than structure.
In the third period, Buffalo added two more goals in quick succession.. Beck Malenstyn and Alex Tuch scored 84 seconds apart to make it 6-0. and the rout accelerated into a goalie change moment that underlined how far the game had tilted.. That pair of goals came after Boston had already been chasing. and the consequence was clear: the Sabres didn’t just control the series—they looked like the sharper team in every zone.
Buffalo’s power play storyline remains a complicated one, but it didn’t define the final outcome.. The Sabres entered with a scoring drought on the man advantage, failing to convert on multiple opportunities across the series.. Still. their second goal arrived just after a penalty expired. before Viktor Arvidsson returned. meaning the power-play narrative and the scoring impact didn’t fully line up on the stat sheet.. The overall result was unchanged: Buffalo was 0 for 2 on the power play in the game. extending a drought that has lasted throughout the postseason.
A key detail that matters for how this series ends: Buffalo’s ability to win even while their power play searches for answers.. When a team can dominate at even strength or convert at selective moments. it creates a more difficult blueprint for the opponent to defend.. Boston now has to consider not only how it limits the Sabres’ transition and forechecking. but also how it prevents another early flood of goals—because the first period was the difference-maker.
There’s also the psychological edge embedded in the way Buffalo won.. The Sabres rallied from down 2-0 in the third period to win Game 1 earlier in the series. proving they can turn momentum when games tighten.. Against a Bruins team returning to the postseason under first-year coach Marco Sturm. that consistency became a pattern Boston couldn’t stop.. Sean Kuraly’s short-handed goal late in the game provided the only meaningful counterpunch for Boston. helping avoid a complete shutout. but it came after the outcome was already decided.
Looking ahead, the schedule gives Buffalo an immediate opportunity to close the series.. Game 5 shifts to Buffalo on Tuesday night. where the Sabres will have a chance to finish the job in front of their home crowd.. If they can replicate the early control they showed Sunday—especially that four-goal opening burst—the Bruins may find themselves forced into desperation mode again.. And if Boston can’t solve Buffalo’s ability to turn pressure into goals early. the series could end faster than Boston would want.
For now, the message from Misryoum is simple: Buffalo didn’t merely take a lead—they seized the series’ tempo from the opening puck, and they’re close to sealing the deal.