Sabres Fall 2-1 in OT, Bruins Force Game 6

The Buffalo Sabres had everything in front of them Tuesday night — a chance to close out a playoff series at home for the first time in nearly two decades — but instead, it was the Boston Bruins who found a way to extend things.

Buffalo struck first and looked like they might be on their way early. After drawing a power play midway through the opening period, Rasmus Dahlin blasted home a slapshot to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead — their first power-play goal since late March — and give the building exactly the jolt it was waiting for. For a stretch, it felt like that might be enough. Boston pushed, controlled possession for long stretches of the period, but Buffalo defended well, keeping most of the Bruins’ looks to the outside while Alex Lyon handled what did get through.

That push from Boston never really went away.

The second period tilted heavily in the Bruins’ favor, with Buffalo spending long stretches on their heels and struggling to get clean exits. It finally caught up to them when Elias Lindholm found the equalizer, tying the game at one in a period where it felt like Boston was eventually going to break through. Even as the Sabres weathered the rest of the storm — killing penalties and leaning on Lyon to come up with big saves — it had the feel of a game that was tightening by the minute.

And that’s exactly what it became.

Buffalo pushed back in the third, finding another gear and starting to tilt the ice again. There were stretches where the Sabres had Boston hemmed in, throwing pucks toward the net and building momentum as the clock wound down. But nothing got through. Every chance felt like it was just a half-step away, every rebound just out of reach, and eventually, the horn sounded with nothing separating the two sides.

Overtime followed, and with it, the kind of tension that only playoff hockey brings.

In the end, it was David Pastrnak who delivered the blow, scoring the game-winner to give Boston a 2-1 victory and force a Game 6 back in Boston.

It was a tough finish for Buffalo, especially considering how well they defended for much of the night and how strong Lyon was once again. The Sabres netminder stopped 27 shots and was named the game’s second star, continuing what has been an outstanding postseason for him.

Dahlin’s goal stood as Buffalo’s only offense, but his impact stretched far beyond that. He logged a team-high 29:01 of ice time and was one of the few players consistently driving play in a game that often felt like it was being dictated by Boston’s forecheck.

Buffalo finished 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, while Boston went scoreless with the man advantage — a sign of just how tight and detail-oriented this game was.

Now, instead of celebrating on home ice, the Sabres will have to go back on the road and try to close it out in Game 6.

It’s not the result they wanted, but it’s the reality of playoff hockey — nothing comes easy, and nothing gets handed to you.