{"id":488495,"date":"2026-04-19T07:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T11:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=488495"},"modified":"2026-04-19T05:30:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T09:30:28","slug":"2026-eastern-conference-stanley-cup-playoff-boston-bruins-buffalo-sabres-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/04\/19\/2026-eastern-conference-stanley-cup-playoff-boston-bruins-buffalo-sabres-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins 2026 NHL Eastern Conference First-Round Playoff Series Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Buffalo Sabres<\/a> and the Boston Bruins<\/a> will meet for the ninth time in the clubs’ histories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. Both of these teams finished at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings a year ago. Safe to say not many predictions at the beginning of the season has the Bruins hitting 100 points, or the Sabres winning the division, yet here we are. Will the Sabres be able to continue their story book season and win their first playoff series since 2007? Or will Boston ride this underdog story back to the second round? Find out our analysis here at\u00a0<\/span>Last Word On Hockey<\/em>\u00a0next as we try to decide just who will prevail in the seven-game showdown with our Sabres vs Bruins series preview.<\/span><\/p>\n

2026 Eastern Conference First Round Sabres vs Bruins Series Preview<\/h2>\n

It feels like the tales of these two teams can be told with their general managers. On Buffalo’s side, they let go of Kevyn Adams<\/a> in December and the team went on to win seven games in a row, extending their total win streak to 10 at the time. Jarmo Kekalainen<\/a> took over, and really only had to add depth pieces at the deadline. This is the team that Adams built, but there has to be some connection to him being let go and the team going on a historic run.<\/p>\n

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Credit Image: \u00a9 Alie Skowronski\/Miami Herald via ZUMA Press Wire<\/span><\/p>\n

In Boston, Don Sweeney<\/a> potentially saved his career this season. After finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference standings a season ago, his team has rebounded as well as any. Trades from last year’s deadline have aged incredibly well. Plus, it helps when you have Jeremy Swayman<\/a> in net. Sweeney was on the hot seat, and now has a playoff team to show for his work last season and over the summer.<\/p>\n

2025-26 Season Series<\/h3>\n

Despite the Bruins taking three of the four games, the two teams’ season series was incredibly close. Two of the Bruin wins were in overtime. If you look at the total goals, Buffalo was only outscored 12-11. Plus, a couple of the Bruins victories came way back in October. That was before Buffalo had taken off this year (and never looked back).<\/p>\n

Goaltending<\/h3>\n

Both of these teams have gotten stellar goaltending this season. The Sabres have rolled with a trio between Alex Lyon<\/a>, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/a> and Colten Ellis<\/a>. The team has turned over the majority of the starts to Luukkonen, and should be the projected starter for the team down the stretch. In 34 games played, Luukkonen had a .910 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average. This will be Luukkonen’s first trip to the playoffs, and the Sabres will need him to continue his best season as a pro.<\/p>\n

In Boston, its been all Swayman. Boston bet on Swayman two seasons ago when they had to make a decision between him and Linus Ullmark<\/a>. that swing looked rough last season, but now, Swayman looks like one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. His stats fall slightly below Luukkonen’s, with a .908 save percentage and a 2.71 goals against average. However, he has played in 55 games this season, a remarkable workload in today’s NHL.<\/p>\n

Defence<\/h3>\n

There is a load of talent along the blueline in this series. In Boston, it starts and maybe ends with Charlie McAvoy<\/a>. McAvoy has been a dominant player on the blue line for years. Part of the reason Boston struggled so much last season was due to an injury McAvoy sustained in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. This season is back to what we expect from McAvoy. 61 total points in the regular season, and a gold medal from Milan as well.<\/p>\n

For the Sabres, their blueline is loaded with talent. But none more important than Rasmus Dahlin<\/a>. It was nightmare of a start for Dahlin. His fianc\u00e9 needed an emergency heart transplant over the summer. Dahlin took multiple leaves of absence to be with her for stretches of time in the early days of the season. The good news is she has returned to Western New York. It also feels as if Dahlin’s play improved with her health throughout her recovery.<\/p>\n

Dahlin’s play didn’t just improve, it skyrocketed. Dahlin ended the season with 19 goals and 74 total points, a career high. Dahlin is playing so well, there is some buzz about whether or not he should be a Norris candidate. He’s not the only performer on the blue line though. Mattias Samuelsson<\/a> and Bowen Byram<\/a> are both 40 point contributors. Career highs for both of them. And 2021 first overall pick Owen Power<\/a> has taken big strides this season with his game.<\/p>\n

Both teams have a bottom pair bruiser as well. Nikita Zadorov<\/a> is one of the more physical defenders in the NHL. He constantly gets under the skin of opposing teams players, and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves if need be. In Buffalo, one of the few acquisitions made at the deadline was to address a lack of toughness. They went out and got Logan Stanley<\/a> from Winnipeg to round out the bottom pair. Since coming to Buffalo, Stanley has dropped the gloves a couple times. But his main role is to add a different element to a highly talented group of defencemen in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

Forwards<\/h3>\n

How about David Pastrnak. His fourth-consecutive, 100-point season. Normally we all think of the shot, and that’s still a great weapon. However, he has turned into one of the more dynamic playmakers in the league. Just 29 goals this season, his lowest total since the shortened COVID-19 season when he only played 48 games. However he has 71 assists, the most in his career. Pastrnak continues to find ways to evolve his game, and will be a nightmare defensively for Buffalo.<\/p>\n

Other guys are stepping up as well in Boston. Pavel Zacha<\/a> had his most productive regular season ever with 30 goals and 65 points. Viktor Arvidsson was well worth the fifth-round pick they sent to Edmonton for him. He has 54 points this season. Overall Boston has younger players stepping up to meet opportunity, and vets who are all having better years for their careers.<\/p>\n

In Buffalo, its a sum of its parts type of season. Tage Thompson<\/a> still paves the way with 40 snipes and 81 total points. But the Sabres have a balanced offensive attack that doesn’t over rely on one singular line. The Sabres have 10 players with 40 points or more. Compared to Boston’s seven. Alex Tuch<\/a> continues to impress in his contract year, with 33 goals and 66 points.<\/p>\n

The Sabres have a current second line of Josh Doan<\/a>, Zach Benson<\/a>, and Joshua Norris<\/a>. Norris is the lowest producer on that line with 34 points because he only played half the season. Benson and Doan are the gritty difference makers that the Sabres have been looking for for years. Their third line is lethal as well. With Jack Quinn<\/a> and Ryan McLeod<\/a> both having career years.<\/p>\n

Who Prevails and What are the Odds<\/h3>\n

Both teams have one really good special teams unit. For Boston, it’s their power play, sitting at ninth best in the NHL. In Buffalo, it’s the penalty kill with the fourth best in the NHL. This is a beast of a first round. Two teams with 100 points plus to their names in the regular season.<\/p>\n

The Sabres feel like a team of destiny. Finally breaking their 14-year playoff drought. Not only snapping that, but winning their division as well. This series could get mean as well, both teams have a heavy physical style of play. But in the end, we think Buffalo’s depth proves to be the difference maker.<\/p>\n

Our Prediction: Sabres in 6 to avenge the 2010 playoff series.<\/em><\/p>\n

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins will meet for the ninth time in the clubs’ histories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. Both of these teams finished at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings a year ago. Safe to say not many predictions at the beginning of the season has the Bruins […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5508,"featured_media":477019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,4547,4548,4524],"tags":[8285,6081,6254],"class_list":["post-488495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sabres","category-bruins","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-2026-stanley-cup-playoffs","tag-boston-bruins-predictions","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5508"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488495"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488821,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488495\/revisions\/488821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}