Sabres Defeat Bruins 3-1 in Game 3: Lyon Shines, Ostlund Scores

BOSTON — The Buffalo Sabres faced a tough test inside a hostile TD Garden on Thursday night. They entered Game 3 missing a key center in Josh Norris. They also watched the Boston Bruins score the first goal of the game for the third consecutive time in this series.

However, resilience defined this roster all season. Tonight was no different.

Behind a stellar 24-save performance from goaltender Alex Lyon and a breakout game from rookie Noah Ostlund, the Sabres secured a gritty 3-1 victory. Buffalo now holds a 2-1 series lead in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.

A Strong Start Hampered by Power Play Woes

Buffalo came out of the gate flying. For the first six and a half minutes, the Sabres established a blistering pace. They moved their feet noticeably better than they did during stretches of the first two games back in Buffalo. This aggressive start helped them outshoot the Bruins 13-9 in the opening period.

Despite the strong five-on-five play, the power play continued to drag the offense down. Buffalo failed to convert on two early man-advantage opportunities. This extended their frustrating power-play drought to 0-for-11 in the series heading into the first intermission.

Lyon Sparks the Turning Point

The second period tested Buffalo’s composure. Boston broke the scoreless tie at the 3:26 mark. Tanner Jeannot found space and fired a short-side shot past Lyon off a feed from Charlie McAvoy.

Shortly after, a Rasmus Dahlin penalty led to a nightmare scenario: a penalty shot for Boston’s Viktor Arvidsson. This moment had the potential to blow the roof off TD Garden and swing the series momentum completely to the Bruins. Instead, Lyon stayed incredibly patient. He tracked Arvidsson perfectly and got just enough of his blocker on the puck to deflect it away.

That massive save instantly energized the Buffalo bench.

The Sabres channeled that energy right into the offensive zone. At 10:58 of the second period, Noah Ostlund delivered a beautiful pass to Bowen Byram. Byram hammered a flawless one-timer past Jeremy Swayman to tie the game.

Tuch Plays Hero in the Third

The Sabres kept the pressure on in the third period. Jason Zucker nearly gave Buffalo the lead early on but rang a heavy shot cleanly off the post.

Fortunately, Alex Tuch did not miss his opportunity. At 4:03 of the final period, Tuch pounced on a loose puck in the slot. He quickly snapped it into the back of the net to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead. Peyton Krebs and Bowen Byram picked up the assists on the eventual game-winner.

Boston pushed hard for the equalizer, but Buffalo’s defense held firm. Jordan Greenway even hit another post for Buffalo later in the period, narrowly missing a chance to extend the lead.

Boston head coach Marco Sturm called a timeout with 4:13 remaining to draw up a late push. The Bruins eventually pulled Swayman for the extra attacker with 1:40 left on the clock. Noah Ostlund quickly slammed the door shut, burying an empty-net goal from Jack Quinn with 1:24 remaining. The goal marked the first career playoff tally for the young forward, capping off a spectacular two-point night.

By The Numbers

The box score tells the story of a hard-fought, physical hockey game. Buffalo outshot Boston 28-25 and slightly edged them in the faceoff circle by winning 51% of the draws.

Buffalo also matched Boston’s physical intensity, out-hitting the Bruins 38-35. Beck Malenstyn led the charge for the Sabres with five hits. Defensively, the Sabres forced 18 Boston giveaways while only committing nine themselves. Jack Quinn was an offensive catalyst all night, leading the team with five shots on goal.

The power play remains the only glaring concern. Buffalo finished the night 0-for-5 on the man advantage, dropping them to an abysmal 0-for-14 in the series. Boston’s power play also struggled, finishing 0-for-4 against a highly aggressive Buffalo penalty kill.

Making History

Two Sabres forwards etched their names into franchise history with their performances tonight:

• Peyton Krebs: By assisting on Tuch’s goal, Krebs became the first Sabres player to start his first playoffs with a three-game point streak since Tim Connolly did it from April 22-26, 2006.
• Alex Tuch: Tuch’s clutch goal gives him at least one point in all three games of this series (two goals, two assists). He is the first Sabres forward to record a three-game point streak in the playoffs since Tyler Ennis from April 20-24, 2011.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Alex Tuch (BUF): 1 Goal, 0 Assists, 1 Point, Game-Winning Goal
2. Alex Lyon (BUF): 24 Saves on 25 Shots, .960 SV%, Crucial Penalty Shot Save
3. Jeremy Swayman (BOS): 25 Saves on 27 Shots, .926 SV%

Looking Ahead to Game 4

The Sabres will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead on Sunday afternoon. Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. at TD Garden.

Fans can catch the national broadcast on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max. The local broadcast will be available on MSG.