Buffalo Has the Bruins on the Ropes with 3-1 Series Lead
Score: Buffalo Sabres 6-1 Boston Bruins
Shots: BUF 35-22 BOS
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Krebs 2nd (Thompson, Tuch) Doan 1st (McLeod, Byram) Benson 1st (Doan) Byram 3rd (Power, Quinn) Malenstyn 1st (Greenway, Kozak) Tuch 3rd (Thompson, Krebs)
Boston Bruins Goals: Kuraly 1st SHG (Peeke, Lindholm)
Plus 1: Four Score!
Buffalo got a good chance early as Peyton Krebs swiped a rebound on goal that Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman got a piece of. Alex Tuch crashed the net looking for a follow up chance but somehow the puck stayed out as the net was dislodged. Buffalo kept the pressure on, getting 7 of the game’s first 8 shots on goal. The Sabres would finally break through with a first period goal as Peyton Krebs ripped home a shot off a nice pass and turnover in the Boston zone. Alex Tuch came up with the puck and Tage Thompson swooped in off the wall before feeding Krebs in the slot. His wicked shot eluded Swayman for Buffalo’s first goal in the first half of a game in the series. They liked it so much, they soon scored another.
After a too many men on the ice call, the Sabres FINALLY cashed in on the power play! But on further review, no, no they didn’t. Almost though. The penalty expired a moment before the goal. Josh Doan would get the marker, tapping home a sweet pass from Ryan McLeod while positioning himself in front of the net. Back to basics for Buffalo, make a few passes, get to the net and direct home a goal. Bo Byram picked up a helper on the play as well. The Sabres had a 2-0 lead and things were looking good. But Josh Doan wasn’t done enjoying the spotlight. His fierce backcheck on a Boston defender allowed Zach Benson to steal the puck as he broke to the net. Boston played the pass and allowed Taz to take it to the goal. It briefly looked like Benson was stopped, then the puck casually slid into the net between Swayman’s pads. Suddenly it was a 3-0 score when goals have been tough to come by. Boston called a timeout but that wouldn’t slow down the Sabres. Bo Byram scored his team leading 3rd of the series after some hard work in the corner by Buffalo. Boston won the face-off but Buffalo quickly got the puck back with a solid forecheck. Jack Quinn then swept the puck back to Owen Power at the point, before he quickly dished it off to Byram who ripped a shot by a diving Swayman. Wham, bam, thank you Ma’am! It was 4-0 on the scoreboard with the Blue and Gold large and in charge.
The Sabres came to play, dominating the Bruins in the first period. Their speed and tenacity overwelmed Boston to the point where this tilt not only looked but WAS one-sided. Buffalo outworked, outscored and outshot the Bruins by a whopping 19-5 margin.
Plus 2: Still Blanking the Bruins
Nikita Zadorov took an early penalty for Boston and the Sabres had their second man advantage of the game. Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund both had good chances but Swayman and his defense made the saves. The Bruins killed it and back to 5 on 5 we went. Buffalo continued to skate hard, throw some hits and forecheck.
Alex Lyon was then called upon to make a few good stops as Boston tried to get back in it. He didn’t have much work at this point but he remained sharp when he had to. The game then had a long stretch of play with no whistles, with the Bruins hitting the post behind Lyon and dishing out some hits as well. The whistle finally went when Jordan Greenway took a hooking penalty. Boston was gaining a little momentum at this point and were now getting their first power play of the game. Buffalo’s penalty kill had a big answer for that though, with good positioning and well timed shot blocks for the defense. Logan Stanley was a major contributor to that as the Sabres killed it off.
After two periods, the score remained 4-0 for the Blue and Gold. Buffalo got away from their game in the middle frame, which often happens after an offensive outburst. The Sabres went ten minutes without a shot and only had four in the period to Boston’s ten. The Bruins realization that they were in real trouble in the series if they lost today must have hit them.
Plus 3: A Little Coasting, Mostly Crushing
The 3rd period started with some back and forth play, the Sabres seemingly content to let the clock run. Stanley for Buffalo had a good look off a nice setup from Krebs. Alex Lyon made a nice pad save. The Sabres would put the nail in the coffin though when Beck Malenstyn tipped the puck up and over Swayman from a long distance Jordan Greenway shot. Tyson Kozak picked up an assist too as that 4th line was working hard and got the turnover for the goal.
A little over a minute later, the top line got back on the board again with Alex Tuch notching his 3rd of the series. Peyton Krebs was working hard on the wall (as usual) and got the puck to Tage. TNT made no mistake finding Tuch in front who buried it for a 6-0 Sabres lead. Swayman took a seat after that as Joonas Korpisalo came in to finish the game. Peyton was outstanding in this one, scoring a goal and an assist, while creating chances and working his tail off.
The Bruins frustration boiled over with 3 minutes to go, as a big scum broke out involving everyone but the goalies. A Sabres’ slash and a Boston punch set things in motion. Zach Benson got a 10 minute misconduct but Buffalo got a five minute power play. The Sabres were content to ease up and kill time in the final minutes. That letdown cost them as Boston scored in the final minute to ruin the shutout bid. It also upped the Sabres tally for being outscored on their own power plays to 3-0 now. They have given up 3 shorties while going 0 for April. Still shaking my head on that stat! Bottom line, Sabres win it 6-1 and take a commanding lead in the series with a chance to finish Boston at home.
Final Thoughts:
Alex Lyon didn’t have a busy day but he played well, almost always a calming presence in net. He got to sit back and watch the show, while making an occasional stop. He nearly got the shutout, stopping all but one shot he faced. (21 of 22) Lyon has come in and been solid, giving up just 2 goals in 2 full games.
Shoutouts to Bo Byram and Owen Power this afternoon, both with tremendous games. Bo is tied for the team lead in goals (three with Tuch) and has four points in total. Owen has four assists through four games and both defensemen have been solid in their own zone.
The Sabres rode their massive first period push to victory, with four big goals to humanize Jeremy Swayman. They also got huge contibutions from some second and third line players, finally getting more secondary scoring. And a big bonus goal from Beck and company.
The series now shifts back to Buffalo where the Sabres will look to close it out at home. Keybank Center should be ROCKING. The game is on Tuesday, April 28th at 7:30 pm.