Bruins Beat Sabres in OT Game 5 | Boston Forces Game 6

The Buffalo Sabres had a prime opportunity to close out their opening-round series on home ice, but the Boston Bruins simply refused to go quietly.

David Pastrnak found the back of the net midway through sudden-death overtime to give the Bruins a hard-fought 2-1 road victory on Tuesday night. Boston’s crucial win narrows Buffalo’s series lead to three games to two, forcing a Game 6 back at TD Garden on Friday.

Both goaltenders put on a clinic in front of a tense KeyBank Center crowd. Alex Lyon continued his stellar postseason play for Buffalo by making 27 saves, while Jeremy Swayman provided a sturdy and resilient presence at the other end for Boston to keep his team’s season alive.

Breaking the Power-Play Slump

The Sabres struck first and finally broke out of a massive special teams rut in the process.

Buffalo earned an early man advantage, and Rasmus Dahlin capitalized by blasting a shot past Swayman just over three minutes into the opening period. Jason Zucker and Tage Thompson picked up the helpers on the play. That tally snapped a frustrating eleven-game power-play drought for Buffalo, officially ending an 0-for-39 skid that stretched all the way back to early April.

Despite taking the early lead, the Sabres spent much of the first period fending off heavy Boston pressure. Lyon made several high-grade saves to maintain the narrow advantage as the Bruins outshot the home team 9-5 in the opening twenty minutes.

Boston Pushes Back

Boston eventually broke through near the midway mark of the second period. A heavy forecheck led to a defensive breakdown by the Sabres, allowing Elias Lindholm to bury an unassisted tying goal. Buffalo pushed back offensively in the middle period, generating an 8-7 shot advantage, but the score remained deadlocked heading into the final intermission.

The third period featured intense end-to-end action with both squads trading glorious scoring opportunities. Tyson Kozak had a golden chance to end the series late in regulation, but Swayman slammed the door with a massive pad save to force overtime.

Sudden Death Heartbreak

Buffalo came out flying in the extra session. Zucker generated a dangerous look early in overtime, but Swayman stood tall once again to keep the game going.

Those missed opportunities eventually cost the Sabres. Just past the nine-minute mark of overtime, Pastrnak slipped behind the Buffalo defense. Hampus Lindholm delivered a perfect pass, and Pastrnak finished with a slick deke on Lyon to end the game.

Ostlund Leaves with Injury

Beyond the loss, Buffalo also suffered a concerning setback on the injury front.

Rookie forward Noah Ostlund left the game late in the first period following a physical battle in the corner with Bruins forward Casey Mittelstadt. Ostlund went to the dressing room with an apparent lower-body injury. He briefly returned to the ice to test his skating during a stoppage but immediately headed back down the tunnel and was ruled out for the remainder of the night.

Looking Ahead to Game 6

Boston controlled the overall shot clock heavily by the end of the night, outshooting Buffalo 29-15. Lyon earned the game’s second star behind Pastrnak for his valiant effort between the pipes, while Dahlin took home third-star honors.

The Sabres must now regroup and prepare for a hostile environment. They travel back to Massachusetts to face the Bruins in Game 6 this Friday, looking to finish the job and advance to the second round. An official puck drop time and broadcast schedule will be announced soon.