With their season hanging by a thread, the Boston Bruins bought themselves more time on Tuesday night, grinding out a 2-1 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. David Pastrnak ended it in style, finishing a backhand-to-forehand deke in overtime after Elias Lindholm had pulled Boston even in the second period. Rasmus Dahlin opened the scoring on a Buffalo power play early in the first, and the Bruins' response now forces Game 6 back in Boston on Friday.
Key plays decided a tight game
The night turned on a few razor-thin moments. A Buffalo turnover set up Pastrnak for a breakaway-style chance at 9:14 of overtime, and he converted to extend the Bruins' season. Earlier, Dahlin had finally broken through on the man advantage with an early power-play strike that snapped Buffalo’s long drought. Jeremy Swayman steadied Boston with 26 saves, while Alex Lyon turned aside 27 shots for the Sabres. Dahlin’s goal was Buffalo’s first power-play marker in April, ending an 0-for-39 skid, according to NHL.com.
How the goals unfolded
Buffalo struck first when Jason Zucker’s work in the offensive zone led to Dahlin being freed for a near-post one-timer on the power play. Boston clawed back in the second period when Elias Lindholm pounced on a loose puck to tie the game. In overtime, Pastrnak took a long feed from Hampus Lindholm, skated in on a partial break and flashed a quick deke on Lyon before tucking the puck into the net. The Sabres also lost center Noah Ostlund to a lower-body injury in the first period, as noted in local coverage by The Boston Globe.
What’s next: Game 6 in Boston
The series now shifts back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday, with Buffalo still holding a 3-2 edge and a chance to close out the first-round matchup at TD Garden. The Bruins will be looking for cleaner special teams and a sharper opening period to avoid sending the series to a winner-take-all Game 7 in Buffalo. Schedule details and postgame notes are reported by WCVB.
Quick takeaways
Pastrnak’s overtime calm under pressure underscored why he remains Boston’s go-to postseason finisher, and Swayman’s 26-save rebound performance will be a major talking point heading into Game 6. For Buffalo, Lyon’s steady work in net and the long-awaited power-play breakthrough provide reasons for confidence as the series heads to Boston. Those takeaways are supported by the official recap and postgame coverage from NHL.com and local reporting.
