The Boston Bruins are preparing to face the Buffalo Sabres in the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs opening round. The match will take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sunday night.
Boston secured the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 45-27-10 record, accumulating 100 points. Buffalo enters the playoffs as the No. 4 seed after going 50-23-9 with 109 points in the regular season.
Regular Season Head-to-Head
The Bruins and Sabres clashed four times during the regular season. The Bruins emerged victorious in three of those encounters.
Boston claimed the first two games, winning 3-1 on Oct. 11, 2025, and 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 30, both at home. The Sabres secured a 4-1 victory in Buffalo on Dec. 27, but the Bruins won the fourth game 4-3 in overtime on March 25, also in Buffalo.
Goaltender Matchup
Jeremy Swayman is slated to start in goal for the Bruins. Throughout this season, Swayman has played in 55 games, maintaining a 2.71 goals against average and a .908 save percentage, and is credited with two saves.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be in net for the Sabres. During the regular season, Luukkonen started in 34 games, achieving a 2.52 goals against average and a .910 save percentage, with one shutout.
Recent Form
Buffalo’s last game was a 4-3 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars at home on Wednesday night.
Boston is coming off a 4-0 home win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Last Meeting
The Bruins and Sabres last met on March 25. The Bruins won 4-3 in overtime at Buffalo.
- Who: Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres
- When: Sunday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y.
Kim Rankin is one of the lead writers for Boston Bruins on SI and Boston College On SI.