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By losing a winnable game, Bruins not only missed an opportunity, but elevated Sabres
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- By losing a winnable game, Bruins not only missed an opportunity, but elevated Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Despite the stunning nature of the way they lost , the Bruins still put on a pretty positive face after Sunday’s loss to Buffalo.
They assured everyone that yes, the game was disappointing, but not devastating. They made mistakes that could be fixed and were prepared to do so. It was just one game and they’re a resilient team. etc. etc. etc.
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“The will is there. Guys blocking shots. Guys battling hard. Most nights you will win more than you will lose like that,” David Pastrnak said. “We just have to regroup and come to work tomorrow and see what we did wrong in those last 10 minutes and improve for Game 2.”
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Morgan Geekie , Jeremy Swayman and Marco Sturm had similar assessments.
That’s what they’re supposed to say, and if they respond and react correctly, all of those statements could be true.
But even so, it’s ignoring half the equation.
Even if one loss didn’t chop the Bruins’ legs out from under them, it unquestionably elevated the Sabres. It wasn’t just what Boston didn’t achieve on Sunday night, but what they allowed the Sabres to take at their expense.
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By not finishing off a winnable game, Boston made Buffalo better. That’s undeniable.
The combination of all the hype going into this game and the way the Sabres rallied to win made the result and the path to it way more impactful than it otherwise might have been.
Buffalo believes now. Not just the Sabres players, but their fans. Instead of walking into the KeyBank Center nervous for Game 2, the crowd is going to storm into the building on Tuesday with bloodlust.
Scoring three times to go from two goals down to one goal up in 4:34? That’s legendary stuff. This game will be on highlight packages forever in Buffalo.
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After about 45 minutes of frustration, the Sabres now believe they can beat Jeremy Swayman. For most of the game, it didn’t matter that they got more shots and had better chances than Boston did. Those things are sources of frustration if they don’t turn into results. Instead, they’re left believing if they keep hammering away, they’ll eventually break through.
The Sabres believe in each other more now too. They believe they can come back, even from a two goal deficit with less than 8 minutes left.
Three goals in less than five minutes will buff any dents right out of their confidence.
If the Bruins had won, there would have been pressure on Buffalo. Despite everything the Sabres accomplished in the regular season, they’re only as good as their last result and the questions would have started.
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Were the Sabres more suited for the regular season than playoff hockey? Was their lack of playoff experience showing? Were they not tough enough for this? Was their inspiring 2025-26 season a fluke?
Those would have been overreactions. But overreacting to any result is as much a part of the NHL postseason as playoff beards.
But instead of being the team that disappointed the crowd who had waited so long to be here, the Sabres thrilled them with one of the most exciting wins in franchise history.
Because they were on the road and because they were the underdog, the Bruins aren’t under quite the same pressure as the Sabres would have been down one game to none. But still, the already difficult task in front of them got tougher.
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The Bruins have to be that much better because the Sabres will be stronger and more confident than they were.
“I thought tonight was really important to make a statement and set our standard,” Sabres forward Tage Thompson said. “We still have another level.”
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