Buffalo Finally Did It: Sabres Win First Playoff Series Since 2007 After 19-Year Drought

The Buffalo Sabres are moving on. After nearly two decades of playoff heartbreak, they took down the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 6 on Friday night at TD Garden, clinching their Eastern Conference first-round series and punching a ticket to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2007. This is the kind of moment Sabres fans have been waiting for, and it came with Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson setting the tone early.

Two Goals in the First Frame Set the Tone

Buffalo came out swinging and never looked back. Tuch and Samuelsson each found the back of the net in the opening period, giving the Sabres a 2-0 lead before the Bruins could even catch their breath. Zach Benson and Josh Norris added two more in the third period to seal it, putting the game out of reach. The Sabres won all three games they played in Boston during this series, which tells you everything you need to know about how dominant they were on the road.

Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin each recorded two assists, orchestrating the offense with surgical precision. Meanwhile, Alex Lyon stood tall in net with 25 saves for Buffalo. David Pastrnak notched the only goal for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves in a losing effort, but it wasn't enough to keep the Bruins alive.

Vegas and Tampa Push Through

In the Western Conference, the Golden Knights demolished Utah 5-1 in Game 6 in Salt Lake City to win their first-round series. Mitch Marner was unstoppable with two goals and an assist, marking his sixth career three-point playoff game and tying his postseason high. Brett Howden scored for the third straight game as Vegas advanced to the second round for the sixth time in nine years. Carter Hart made 22 saves for the Golden Knights, who will face the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference semifinals.

Out East, the Lightning and Canadiens went to overtime in Game 6, with Gage Goncalves scoring at 9:03 of OT to give Tampa Bay a season-saving 1-0 victory and force a Game 7 on Sunday in Tampa. Andrei Vasilevskiy delivered his best performance of the series with 30 saves for his eighth career playoff shutout, while Montreal's Jakub Dobes was equally impressive with 32 stops in the goaltending duel.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.