David Pastrnak Breaks Buffalo's Heart in Overtime and Forces Game 6

The Boston Bruins are still breathing. David Pastrnak's breakaway goal at 9:14 of overtime lifted Boston past the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Tuesday night, forcing the series back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday. Without this win, the Bruins' season was done.

The Moment That Mattered

Less than two minutes after Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman made a massive stop on Alex Tuch, Pastrnak received a long feed from Hampus Lindholm while striding over the blue line. He broke free and slotted the winning goal past Buffalo's Alex Lyon's skate. That's playoff hockey right there. One save keeps you alive, one rush ends it.

Elias Lindholm also scored for the Bruins. Swayman was the story in overtime though, making five of his 25 saves in the extra session to keep Boston's season alive. Boston has now won two of the three playoff games played in Buffalo.

How Buffalo Got Here

The Sabres came out swinging. A roughing call on Mark Kastelic just 2:11 into the game led to Rasmus Dahlin's opening goal at 3:35. That goal broke Buffalo's 0-for-17 power play drought to start the series. Dahlin slotted home Jason Zucker's feed from the right circle through traffic.

But Boston answered. At 9:24 in the middle frame, Elias Lindholm made a great individual effort, cutting to the front with Morgan Geekie's pass and scoring a second-effort turnaround shot from the slot. Game tied 1-1.

In the third period, both goalies faced crucial moments. Swayman made a huge post-to-post save on Tage Thompson's redirection at the right post. He then stopped a major flurry with under 2:20 left in regulation. Alex Lyon stopped 27 shots for Buffalo, which is still searching for its first playoff series win since 2007.

Game 6 is Friday in Boston. The Bruins lived to fight another day.

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