David Pastrnak scored 9:14 into overtime as the Buffalo Sabres fell to the Boston Bruins 2-1 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center, as Buffalo’s series lead was cut to 3-2. The Sabres struck early but could not generate enough offense to close out the series on home ice.
Buffalo opened the scoring on a power-play goal from Rasmus Dahlin, snapping an 11-game drought with the man advantage. The goal gave the Sabres momentum early, but Boston responded in the second period when Elias Lindholm buried the tying goal. From there, both teams tightened defensively, limiting scoring chances through the remainder of regulation.
The Sabres had opportunities to win late, including a close-range chance for Tyson Kozak in the final moments of regulation and another early in overtime from Jason Zucker, but Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman came up with key saves to keep Boston alive. Pastrnak delivered the decisive moment in overtime, slipping behind the defense and finishing to extend the series.
Alex Lyon turned aside 27 shots in net for Buffalo, while Swayman made 25 saves for Boston.
The Sabres also dealt with adversity after Noah Ostlund exited with a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return.
The series shifts back to TD Garden in Boston for Game 6 on Friday, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the Sabres look to close out the series.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].