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Stanley Cup Playoffs - Eastern Conference Quarter-Final - Game 3

Buffalo Sabres - Boston Bruins Game Preview - Series tied 1-1 

4/23/26 - 7:00 pm at TD Garden in Boston, MA

Buffalo – 50-23-9 | - 109  points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division

Boston  – 45-27-10 | - 100 points – 4th place in the Atlantic Division

 

Special Teams

Buffalo

Power Play(Reg) – 19.5% (21st)

Power Play(Playoffs) - 0 for 9 - 0% (12th) 

Penalty Kill(Reg) – 81.9% (4th)

Penalty Kill(Playoffs) - 6 for 8 - 75.0% (11th) 

Boston

Power Play(Reg) – 23.4% (9th)

Power Play(Playoffs) - 2 for 8 - 25.0% (5th)

Penalty Kill(Reg) - 77.0% (24th)

Penalty Kill(Playoffs) - 100% - 9 for 9 (T-1st)

Top Scorers

Buffalo

Tage Thompson: 2 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS

Alex Tuch: 2 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS

Peyton Krebs: 2 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS

Boston

David Pastrnak: 2 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS

Morgan Geekie: 2 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 PTS

Viktor Arvidsson: 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 2 PTS

Starting Goalies

Buffalo – Alex Lyon (0-0, 0.00 GAA, .000 Sv %)

Boston  – Jeremy Swayman (1-1, 2.54 GAA, .931 Sv %)  

Other Sabres Stories

Lindy Ruff - Jack Adams nominee?

Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)

Forwards

Peyton Krebs   - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch

Zach Benson - Noah Ostlund - Josh Doan 

Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn  

Jordan Greenway - Tyson Kozak - Beck Malenstyn

Ex., Tanner Pearson,, Josh Dunne

Defense

Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power - Bowen Byram 

Logan Stanley - Conor Timmins 

Ex. Luke Schenn, Michael Kesselring, Zach Metsa

Goaltenders

Alex Lyon

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Colten Ellis

Injuries

Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)

Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season) 

Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)

Josh Norris (unspecified, Apr 21; day-to-day)

 Notes

Tage Thompson tallied 58 points (27+31) in 52 games from Dec. 9 to 

the end of the regular season and his 24 even-strength goals in that span ranked tied for fifth among all NHL skaters. He led all Sabres skaters in goals (40) and points (81) in the regular season.

A point in tonight’s game would make Thompson the first Sabres forward since Jason Pominville from April 22 to 26, 2006 (three games; 3+1) to record four or more points in the first three playoff games of their career.

Thompson scored 21 goals in 41 games on the road in 2025-26, the most among all Sabres skaters and tied for the seventh-most among all NHL skaters.Thompson would become the seventh Buffalo skater to do so all-time, and the first since Marc-Andre Gragnani from April 14 to 18, 2011 (three games;0+4).

Peyton Krebs (1+1) and Owen Power (0+2) have both registered a point in each of their first two career playoff contests, the longest streak by a Sabres skater to begin their playoff career since Gragnani. With a point tonight, Krebs would become the first Sabres forward to record at least one point in the first three playoff games of their career since Tim Connolly from April 22 to 26, 2006 (three games; 2+3). Krebs (107 road hits) is one of seven Sabres skaters (since 2005-06) to record 100 or more hits on the road at least once. Power tallied a road 5-on-5 shot attempts differential of plus-81 this season, the best mark among all Sabres skaters.

Alex Tuch posted at least one point in Game 1 and Game 2 and a point tonight would give him the first three-game point streak by a Sabres skater in the playoffs since Tyler Myers from April 22 to 26, 2011 (three games; 1+5). Tuch would become the first Sabres forward to record a three-game point streak in the playoffs since Tyler Ennis from April 20 to 24, 2011 (three games; 2+2).

Mattias Samuelsson posted a plus-21 rating in 41 road games this season, tied for the eighth-best mark among all NHL skaters.

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