Sabres beat Bruins, nab 2-1 series lead in First Round

Boston, MA (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Despite allowing the opening goal for the third-straight game, the Buffalo Sabres got back to their game and took down the Boston Bruins in Game Three of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The blue and gold used three unanswered goals to seize a 2-1 series lead in the first game played inside TD Garden.

The first period was a scoreless affair. Both sides boasted two powerplays, but were unable to find twine. Buffalo owned the early shot advantage (13-9), and showed some improvement on both powerplay opportunities. Unfortunately, it was not yet enough to score the team's first powerplay goal since March.

In the second period, Boston opened the scoring. Forward Tanner Jeannot beat Alex Lyon low under his right pad to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. It was the third time in as many games in the series that Boston scored first.

The Bruins almost made it a 2-0 contest at the halfway point of the frame. While trying to break a play out of his own end, Mattias Samuelsson's stick snapped in half right in the middle of his own defensive zone. Boston forward Viktor Arvidsson, already with two goals in the series, stole the loose puck and flew in on Lyon. Rasmus Dahlin's only real option in aid of Samuelsson was to take Arvidsson down from behind, and a penalty shot was called.

Lyon hunkered down on the penalty shot attempt, though, and gave Arvidsson next to no angle to shoot at. It remained a one-goal affair, but only for a minute more.

Momentum swung in the Sabres' favor just 68-seconds later. Noah Ostlund, in his first Stanley Cup playoff action, located Bo Byram with a nifty centering pass from beyond the goal line. It was Byram's second goal of the series, and even things up at a goal apiece.

Byram ties the game in the second

The game remained tied for the remainder of the second, but things changed four-minutes into the third period of play. That was when Alex Tuch asserted his dominance with a shift to remember. Reverse hits, forechecks, and a go-ahead goal later, Tuch willed the blue and gold to a 2-1 lead. He used Tage Thompson as a screen in front, and wired his second goal of the series past goalie Jeremy Swayman.

Tuch caps an incredible shift with the go-ahead tally

In the late stages, the Sabres did get themselves into penalty trouble while nursing the one-goal lead. Both Dahlin and Thompson served two-minute minors, but the penalty-killers dug their skates in and shooed away every Boston opportunity.

The final icing on the cake was with 1:24 left in regulation. Noah Ostlund announced his presence to the Stanley Cup playoffs, as his cold-blooded effort to chase down a loose puck with the Bruins' net empty helped drop the curtain on Boston in Game Three.

Ostlund calls game with a dogged effort

It was a sigh of relief to put a worrisome Game Two behind them, as the Sabres take a 2-1 series edge into Sunday afternoon's matchup.

Alex Lyon stopped 24 of 25 shots in his first playoff nod.

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SCORING RECAP:

First Period:
BUF: NONE
BOS: NONE

Second Period:
BUF: 10:58 - Bowen Byram (2) (Noah Ostlund, Owen Power)
BOS: 3:26 - Tanner Jeannot (1) (Unassisted)

Third Period:
BUF: 4:03 - Alex Tuch (2) (Peyton Krebs, Bowen Byram); - 18:36 - Noah Ostlund (1) ENG (Jack Quinn)
BOS: NONE

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STATS OF THE GAME

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Bluestar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:

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

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What's Next:

Game Four, still in Boston, is on Sunday afternoon April 26. Puck drop at TD Garden is set for 2 p.m. ET, while pregame coverage starts at 12 p.m. ET with Brian Koziol and Paul Hamilton right here on WGR Sports Radio 550.