BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Sabres came back from a 2-0 deficit late in the third period Sunday night and beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in Game 1, a surge that gave Buffalo a 1-0 series lead in its first Stanley Cup playoff game in 15 years. Tage Thompson scored his first two postseason goals in the third period, turning a quiet night into the kind of finish that can change a series.
Thompson finished with two goals and three points in the period, and his second goal came less than four minutes after the first, a glove-side shot that erased Boston’s lead and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he could feel the arena shaking before puck drop because of the energy in the building, and Thompson said the moment carried the weight of everything Buffalo had been through to get back here.
“I mean, lack of experience?” Thompson said, then made clear he did not think that explained the way his team closed. Buffalo had not played in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 15 years, and Thompson said eight years of missing the postseason had prepared the group for nights like this. “We’ve been in games that have prepared us for this. I think eight years of adversity is enough experience to get you ready for something like this,” he said.
Boston had controlled the early scoreline behind Jeremy Swayman, whose saves kept the Bruins in front while Buffalo pushed. The Sabres still outshot Boston 38-20 and held a 35-18 edge in scoring chances in the third period, a sign of how much pressure they built before the game finally broke open. Thompson’s first playoff goal came on a loose puck behind the net, and less than four minutes later he beat Swayman glove side to pull Buffalo even.
The comeback was more than a fast finish. It was Buffalo’s first playoff game in 15 years, and Thompson said the group did not want the moment to pass without making a mark. “I thought tonight was really important to make a statement and set our standard,” he said. Ruff said the bench fed off the crowd and the momentum that followed Thompson’s goals, with players already talking about getting a third one. Buffalo got it done with the sort of pressure it had been building all night, and Thompson put it plainly afterward: “It’s just death by 1,000 cuts, I think.”
