After trailing the Boston Bruins 1–0 in the second period of Game 3 in the best-of-seven series, the Buffalo Sabres scored three unanswered goals on the road at TD Garden to now command a 2-games-to-1 advantage in Round 1 of the NHL postseason.
The scoreless first period saw Buffalo take 13 shots-on-goal and Boston shoot the puck nine times at Buffalo’s goal.
After a scoreless opening period, Boston struck first at 3:26 in the second period with a goal from forward Tanner Jeannot, and assisted by defenseman Charlie McAvoy. The period ended at 1–1, when the Sabres’ Bowen Byram connected on a wrist shot that found the back of the Bruins’ net at 10:58. Assisting on the game-tying score for Buffalo were Noah Ostlund and Owen Power. Byram’s goal is his second in the series’ first three games. Power has registered an assist in each of the three games.
Offensively, the third period of Game 3 belonged to Buffalo. The tie was broken at 4:03 by Sabres’ Alex Tuch snapping the puck past Bruins’ goalie Jeremy Swayman. Peyton Krebs and Byram assisted on the go-ahead goal. Up 2–1 late in the third period, Boston pulled Swayman, in favor of a sixth skater. At 18:36, Buffalo’s Ostlund put the puck into the empty net to increase the lead to 3–1.
Buffalo and Boston next meet in Game 4, scheduled on Sunday at 2 p.m. EDT at TD Garden.
Unlike in Game 4 on Tuesday in Buffalo, when Boston collected a 4–2 victory, Sabres’ coach Lindy Ruff chose not to start goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Thursday. Ruff turned to Alex Lyon to defend between the pipes in Boston. Lyon stopped 25 shots-on-goal. Luukkonen’s 4.19 goals-against-average for the first two games of the series could have factored into Ruff’s decision to make the change in goalies for Game 3. On Thursday, NHL.com reported on Ruff’s reasons for the switch and why there was no formal announcement prior to the game on who would be in net at TD Garden.
Buffalo, who won 24 road games during the 2025–2026 regular season, failed to score on the power play. They were 0-for-9 on the power play in the first two games of the series. Boston also didn’t score on the power play in Thursday’s game. This was a concern of Ruff’s as the series transitioned to Boston. On Wednesday NHL.com reported that after Game 2 Ruff addressed the lack of production when his team has a man advantage.
“It’s always a concern, for sure. I think we’ll have to tweak some things,” Ruff said after Tuesday’s game, when Buffalo went 0-for-5. “Some of our execution, some of our puck play, hasn’t been good enough. I think we stabbed a few pucks that we needed to hang onto that would give us more zone time. That’s just the realization that you know where the pressure is coming from again, but obviously at this stage, it’s going to be a conversation in the coaches room, for sure.”
Swayman, who has been in goal for the first three games of the series, has the full confidence of Bruins’ first-year coach Marco Sturm. The Hockey News reported on Wednesday of Sturm’s commitment to stay the course with Swayman, who appeared in 55 games for Boston this season.
“He’s a big part of it. If you have a goalie like that, he doesn’t have the ‘C’ or an ‘A’ on him,” Sturm said. “We know he’s a big part of our team. He’s a big leader. He’s been through it, those ups and downs. He’s very quiet, but when he speaks, we all listen. Again, he’s been unbelievable all year long.”
Sabres goalie Lyon stopped a penalty shot by Boston’s Viktor Arvidsson in the second period. Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Buffalo on April 28.