Bruins edge Sabres in OT to keep playoff hopes alive

When Hampus Lindholm collected the puck inside Boston’s blue line after teammate Fraser Minten disrupted a Buffalo Sabres rush, the Bruins defenseman instantly knew where to look.

As expected, David Pastrnak was already accelerating toward Buffalo’s zone. Fed by Lindholm, Pastrnak netted a breakaway goal 9:14 into overtime, lifting the Bruins to a 2-1 victory in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night and staving off elimination, News.Az reports, citing AP.

“He’s pretty special when it comes to those opportunities, too, so it was fun to see it go in,” Lindholm said.

Pastrnak credited his connection with Lindholm to their off-ice familiarity as neighbors.

“We always call it the neighbor connection,” Pastrnak said. “Seems like anytime he has the puck and I have an opening, I have the confidence that he’s gonna find me.”

The series now returns to Boston for Game 6 on Friday night. Buffalo remains in pursuit of its first playoff series win since defeating the New York Rangers in six games during the second round in 2007. The Sabres have reached the postseason only three times since then, ending a record 14-season drought this year.

Elias Lindholm also found the net for Boston, which rallied from a 1-0 deficit. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves, including a key stop on Jason Zucker positioned in front 3:30 into overtime.

Rasmus Dahlin scored Buffalo’s lone goal, while Alex Lyon recorded 27 saves.

“He’s always lurking,” Lyon said of Pastrnak, whom he denied on multiple earlier chances. “Obviously, he’s one of the best players in the league,” he added, referring to Pastrnak reaching the 100-point milestone for a fourth consecutive season. “It’s just one play at the end from a really good player. That’s usually how these things go. And now it’s just incumbent on us to move forward.”

Buffalo was caught deep in the offensive zone before the Bruins capitalized with a quick line change, sending Pastrnak onto the ice as the turnover occurred.

Taking Lindholm’s pass in stride at the blue line, Pastrnak drove toward the net with a step on Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson. After faking a move across the front and briefly losing his balance, he managed to tuck the puck just inside the right post.

“He always gets it done. And what a nice finish from him,” coach Marco Sturm said of the veteran forward. “I’m just very happy because this guy puts a lot of pressure on himself and he wants to be the difference. And today he was.”

The goal marked the 41st of Pastrnak’s playoff career and his second in overtime. His previous overtime tally also came in an elimination game, securing Boston’s 2-1 Game 7 victory over Toronto in their 2024 first-round series.

Lindholm tied the game 9:24 into the second period when his sharp-angle attempt bounced into the slot. Reaching the loose puck first with his back to the net, he spun and fired a low shot through traffic.

Dahlin opened the scoring at 3:35 of the first period, recording his first playoff goal and Buffalo’s first power-play conversion in nearly a month. Driving up the left wing, Zucker initially had his pass blocked before regaining control and setting up Dahlin for a one-timer from the right circle.

The Sabres had been struggling on the power play, going 0-for-17 in the series and entering the postseason with 22 consecutive unsuccessful attempts dating back to a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on March 31.

Boston played without second-line forward Viktor Arvidsson, who was injured during the first period of Game 4 on Sunday.

Buffalo also suffered a setback, losing rookie forward Noah Ostlund to a lower-body injury in the opening period.

Coach Lindy Ruff did not disclose specifics but indicated concern, saying, “it doesn’t look good.” Ostlund had only recently returned from an upper-body injury in Game 3, where he recorded a goal and an assist.

The Bruins have now secured consecutive wins in Buffalo after previously surrendering a 2-0 lead in the final 7:58 of a 4-3 loss in Game 1. The Sabres had taken both home games earlier in the series and entered Tuesday’s matchup following a 6-1 victory on Sunday.

“We’re in a good spot. We should be ready for the next one,” Dahlin said. “It’s a tight game and stuff happens, so we’re ready for going to Boston.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev