Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Game 5 Preview: Bruins Fight to Play On

Katherine Hirsche
Jan 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) reacts after a goal by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (not pictured) during the first period at Scotiabank Arena.

The Boston Bruins are down 3-1 to the Buffalo Sabres going into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round. They are coming off a blowout loss, so they will have to rebound quickly. The Sabres were the winners of the Atlantic Division in the regular season, while the Bruins were the first wild-card out of the Eastern Conference.

Tight Battles Between Buffalo and Boston

Game 1 had a thrilling finish for the Sabres, who scored 3 goals in less than 5 minutes to eventually win 4-3. They must have been inspired by the fact that it was the franchise’s first playoff game since late April in 2011, and of course, their first win since then. Tage Thompson scored twice, and Matias Samuellson also scored in that short period of time to hand the Bruins a close and frustrating loss.

In Game 2, the Sabres tried to make another late comeback with two goals in the third period, but the Bruins had already scored 4 goals straight and won 4-2. Notably, there was a huge fight in the third period, with a combined 52 minutes of penalties being handed out (including 10-minute misconducts for Thompson and Nikita Zadorov). The Sabres were 0-for-5 on the power play, a space for improvement, and Viktor Arvidsson scored twice for the Bruins.

The Bruins fought well in Game 3 at home, but on the back of a go-ahead goal from Alex Tuch of Buffalo, they fell 3-1 in the end. The Sabres seem to be good at comebacks, and were down 1-0 in the second period before getting 3 consecutive goals from Tuch, Bowen, Byram, and Noah Ostlund. Ostlund is not only a rookie, but he’s been sidelined with injury since March 25. Tanner Jeannot scored for the Bruins. In the goal, the Buffalo gave Alex Lyon his first start of the series. Lyon played well, making 24 saves.

“Getting in for a few minutes (in Game 2) was really helpful,” Lyon said after the game. “Before that, it was probably two weeks since I’ve played, so to get the feel of the game set me up nicely for today.” He replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukonnen for the start and blocked all 7 shots he faced.

Buffalo was absolutely dominant in Game 4, scoring 4 goals in the first period alone and eventually winning 6-1. More concerningly for Boston, Arvidsson sustained an upper-body injury in the first period and didn’t return to the ice. He also did not attend practice on April 27. Zadorov’s status is also questionable, as he sustained an injury early in Game 3 and didn’t play in Game 4.

Post-Game 4 Reactions

“We should be embarrassed because it was embarrassing,” said Boston Head Coach Marco Sturm. “Guys know me, and we’re going to talk about it. We’re going to analyze this, but at the end of the day, we have to move on, too. I am embarrassed, and we all should be. You have to win four games to move on. They’ve got three, so that means we still have a chance. I can cry about it, but I have to push my guys for the next game and make sure our intensity is going to be there.”

“That first period is the best period we’ve played all year,” said Buffalo Head Coach Lindy Ruff. “Puck pressure, the scoring opportunities, as well as we moved the puck and got the puck up ice and didn’t spend much time in our end. (Game 3’s first period) wasn’t our best period, but these last five have been really solid.”

Game 5 Preview

Regardless of injuries and the Game 4 blowout, the Bruins need to be at the top of their game to win Game 5 and beat a strong Buffalo team. It’s certainly possible, because the two teams have already had some tight battles this series.