Buffalo Just Ended 19 Years of Misery and the Rest of the East Better Take Notice
The Buffalo Sabres did something they haven't done since 2007: they won a playoff series. And they didn't just sneak by, either. The visiting Sabres walked into Boston and stomped the Bruins 4-1 in Game 6 on Friday, clinching the Eastern Conference first-round matchup with a performance that looked nothing like a team that's been suffering through nearly two decades of playoff drought.
Two Periods Was All Buffalo Needed
Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson set the tone early, building a 2-0 lead right there in the first period. Buffalo never looked back. Zach Benson and Josh Norris added two more in the third to put this one completely out of reach. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin each chipped in two assists, running the offense with precision. Alex Lyon was lights out between the pipes with 25 saves, and here's the kicker: the Sabres won all three games they played in Boston during this series. That's the kind of road dominance you need when you're trying to break a curse.
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Vegas knocked off Utah 5-1 in Salt Lake City to win their first-round matchup in Game 6. Mitch Marner was the star, dropping two goals and an assist for his sixth career three-point playoff game. Brett Howden scored for the third straight game as the Golden Knights advanced to the second round for the sixth time in nine years as a franchise. Carter Hart made 22 saves to seal it. Vegas will face Anaheim in the Western Conference semifinals.
In Tampa Bay, the Lightning forced a Game 7 with a gutsy overtime win. Gage Goncalves buried the overtime winner at 9:03 of the extra period to give visiting Tampa Bay a 1-0 victory over Montreal on Friday. Andrei Vasilevskiy delivered when it mattered most with 30 saves and his eighth career playoff shutout. Montreal's Jakub Dobes was stellar too with 32 stops, but it wasn't enough. Game 7 is Sunday in Tampa.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.