The Buffalo Sabres marched into TD Garden on Friday, May 1, 2026, and marched out with the Boston Bruins’ season in hand. A 4-1 victory on Garden ice eliminated Boston from the Stanley Cup playoffs and pushed Buffalo into the second round, as the visitors grabbed an early lead and rode it out in front of a lively contingent of Sabres fans. The Bruins, meanwhile, never found enough offense to extend their year and force a Game 7.
Sabres Strike First And Never Look Back
Buffalo set the tone in the opening period when Alex Tuch cashed in on a tap-in to break the ice, then Mattias Samuelsson followed up with a long-range, screened shot that slipped past Jeremy Swayman at 12:26. David Pastrnak briefly tilted things back Boston’s way with a goal at 1:54 of the second period to cut the deficit to one, but Zach Benson restored Buffalo’s two-goal cushion in the third. Josh Norris then finished the job with an empty-netter with 3:20 to play, locking in the 4-1 final. Those scoring details and the home-ice boxscore were reported by the Boston Herald.
Goaltending And Structure Tilt The Ice
Alex Lyon picked up the win for Buffalo, turning aside key chances and stabilizing things behind the Sabres’ tight defensive structure. On the other end, Swayman was forced to stomach a two-goal first period that ultimately proved too much for Boston to overcome. The league’s official gamecenter lists Lyon as the winning goaltender and shows how Buffalo’s play in front of the crease steered the Bruins into low-percentage looks for much of the night. The full boxscore is available at NHL.com.
Season Over In Boston, Second Round Beckons For Buffalo
With the series now settled, the Sabres move on to the conference second round while Boston is left staring down an offseason full of tough questions. Game and player numbers from the matchup underline Buffalo’s edge in high-danger chances and timely finishing, according to the game log and stats at StatMuse. Fans in both markets are already dissecting where things swung Buffalo’s way and how a Bruins team that battled back to the postseason this spring can close its scoring gaps.
Buffalo’s reward is another round of playoff hockey, while Boston’s season now shifts into the familiar routine of exit interviews and summer evaluations. For the full play-by-play and official scoring summary, the league’s gamecenter has the complete breakdown at NHL.com.
