Sabres off to second round with Game 6 win in Boston

Boston, MA (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It was a memorable 60-minute effort for the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of this first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Up 3-2 in the series and needing a win to send the Boston Bruins packing, the blue and gold dominated from start to finish at TD Garden to the tune of a 4-1 final score.

The Sabres opened the scoring just 3:25 into this road affair. Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch teamed up for a nifty connection to vault the blue and gold ahead, 1-0. Dahlin skated down through the left circle, through traffic, and located Tuch positioned at the far post. Tuch sent home his fourth goal of the series and quieted the Boston crowd early.

Tuch gets the Sabres going in Game 6

Later in the first, Mattias Samuelsson doubled the lead for Buffalo. Samuelsson corralled the puck, left at the blue line for him by Peyton Krebs. His point shot through a couple of screens found the back of the net, and made it 2-0 Sabres. It was Samuelsson's second goal of the series, and first since Game 1.

Samuelsson's perfect shot through traffic

The Sabres took that two-goal lead into the middle stanza, but the Bruins halved it less than two-minutes in. Following a turnover, forwards Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak flew in on a 2-on-1 odd-man rush. Zacha dished a pass to Pastrnak, who fired a one-timer for his third goal of the series.

That was the lone goal of the second period, and with the second intermission upon them, just 20-minutes stood between Buffalo and the franchise's first playoff series victory since 2007.

Fantasy felt more like reality just six-minutes into the third period of regulation. Pastrnak fanned on a pass while at the point, and the loose puck made it all the way back to the left corner of the Bruins' defensive zone. He and Charlie McAvoy scampered after it, but were no match for the tenacity of Josh Doan.

Doan beat both of Boston's stars in the race, then took a hit (and an elbow to the head) from McAvoy while simultaneously getting off a centering pass to Zach Benson. Benson made no mistake, and gave the Sabres much-needed breathing room as they tried to close the door on a series win.

Benson caps Doan's all-world effort

Considering the circumstances, Doan's endeavor might go down as one of the plays of the season for the Buffalo Sabres.

If anyone didn't feel quite comfortable enough with the two-goal lead, Josh Norris eased their minds with 3:20 left in the game. Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman barely situated himself on the bench before Norris connected with the Bruins' empty-net. Black and yellow jerseys hurried for the exits all across TD Garden, as the Sabres made it 4-1.

That score held serve, and it was officially official -- for the first time since the 2006-2007 season, the Buffalo Sabres were off to the second round of the playoffs. Though the team knows they will boast home ice advantage for the round, they do not yet know their opponent. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are heading to a Game 7 this weekend, after the Lightning staved off elimination this evening in Game 6.

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SCORING RECAP:

First Period:
BUF: 3:25 - Alex Tuch (4) (Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson); 12:26 - Mattias Samuelsson (2) (Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson)
BOS: NONE

Second Period:
BUF: NONE
BOS: 1:54 - David Pastrnak (3) (Pavel Zacha, Hampus Lindholm)

Third Period:
BUF: 5:58 - Zach Benson (2) (Josh Doan); 16:40 - Josh Norris (1) ENG (Rasmus Dahlin, Zach Benson)
BOS: NONE

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STATS OF THE GAME

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Bluestar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:

1.) Alex Lyon - BUF
2.) Tage Thompson - BUF
3.) Jeremy Swayman - BOS

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What's Next:

Dates and times have yet to be announced for the start of the second round. In terms of what's next, it'll involve some out-of-town scoreboard watching to scout the potential opponents. Game 7 between Tampa Bay and Montreal is on Sunday, May 3.