Boston Bruins Fall to Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 of Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Boston Bruins fell to the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on Thursday night.
After an aggressive opening frame, the Bruins and Sabres remained scoreless at the first intermission. Buffalo outshot Boston 13-9 in the period, but neither team was able to put the puck into the back of the net.
Both teams also had two power plays in the first period.
The Sabres went on the power play at 7:33 after Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm was called for delaying game and at 16:29 after Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov was called for tripping.
Boston had the advantage at 11:24 after Sabres defenseman Conor Timmins was called for holding and again at 13:47 after Sabres center Peyton Krebs was called for roughing.
Early into the second period, Boston got on the board 1-0 with a snap shot goal from left winger Tanner Jeannot at 3:26. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy tallied the assist on the score.
The Bruins had an opportunity to extend their lead with a penalty shot at 9:50 after Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson’s stick broke, but the attempt by left winger Viktor Arvidsson went wide to keep Boston’s lead 1-0.
The Sabres knotted up the game at 1 at 10:58 with a wrist shot goal from defenseman Bowen Byram. Center Noah Ostlund and defenseman Owen Power each picked up an assist on the score.
Right winger Alex Tuch put Buffalo in front for the first time of the night with a snap shot goal at 4:03 in the third. Krebs and Byram earned assists on the score.
Boston had two opportunities to tie the game on the power play later in the period, but could not capitalize. The first came at 11:27 after Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was called for interference and the other was at 14:13 after center Tage Thompson was called for tripping.
Seconds after the Bruins pulled goalie Jeremy Swayman, Ostlund knocked in an empty netter to extend the Sabres’ lead 3-1 at 18:36. Boston could not score after the empty netter.
In the game, Swayman recorded 25 saves in 27 shot attempts and boasted a .926 save percentage. Sabres goalie Alex Lyon made 24 saves out of 25 shots which gave him a .960 save percentage.
With the win, Buffalo retook the series lead 2-1.
Next up, Boston and Buffalo will play Game 4 of the series on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. ET on NESN and TNT.
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Kim Rankin is one of the lead writers for Boston Bruins on SI and Boston College On SI. A 2020 graduate of the University of Alabama. she joined Alabama Crimson Tide On SI in February 2024 covering baseball, softball, football, men’s basketball, and more for BamaCentral, but has also contributed to Missouri Tigers On SI. She previously worked as the brand manager at Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She has covered a wide variety of events including SEC Championships, NCAA Regionals, and bowl games.