BUFFALO, N.Y. — After controlling their first-round playoff game for most of the night, things unraveled in a hurry for the Bruins.
The Sabres erased Boston’s two-goal lead with three goals in less than five minutes. Buffalo added an empty-netter leaving the Bruins stunned on the short end of a 4-3 loss on Sunday.
Tage Thompson scored twice to tie the game and Mattias Samuelsson added the go-ahead goal. After Buffalo’s empty-netter David Pastrnak scored with 6 seconds left.
The Sabres lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. Game 2 is Tuesday at KeyBank Arena at 7:30 p.m.
The Sabres came in with a 14 years worth of pent-up crowd energy behind them. Fans were out pregaming hours before the doors to the KeyBank Center even opened.
They were roaring and chanting before the game and at every hit once the game started.
But the volume dropped drastically when the Bruins took a 1-0 lead just past the midway point of the first.
After Rasmus Dahlin blocked David Pastrnak’s shot, the pucked caromed right to Morgan Geekie, who drilled it by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the only goal of the first.
After morning skate on Sunday morning, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff praised Pastrnak’s ability to recognize moments when he could release to get free for partial or full breakaways at least once a game. Pastrnak got two in the second period, but Luukkonen stuffed him both times.
The top line broke through again right away in the third period. The Bruins were opportunistic on a rebound. This time, after Geekie rang the right post, the puck caromed right to Elias Lindholm, who snapped it by Luukkonen. The goal put Boston up 2-0, 1:08 into the third.
Tage Thompson ended Jeremy Swayman’s shutout bid with 7:58 left. Swayman thought the 6-foot-6 forward was going to emerge from behind the net from the left wing corner and slid across to protect the posted.
But Thompson used his enormous reach to pull it back and then tuck in at the newly vacated near post to make it 2-1.
The goal sparked the Sabres fans, who’d been largely deflated after Lindholm’s goal.
They got really loud with 4:16 left. Thompson took advantage of Andrew Peeke’s mishandle and moved to the front of the net. He flipped the puck under Swayman’s pad to tie the game.
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