When the Bruins bounced back to win Game 2 and even this first round series, they did it by taking their opportunities on offense and limiting the self-inflicted wounds on defense.
In Game 3, they seemed to revert to some of the same bad habits that plagued them down the stretch in the regular season: inability to take care of the puck in their own zone and an inability to capitalize on the scoring chances that presented themselves.
Ultimately, those issues sank the B’s, as Buffalo took Game 3 by a 3-1
score and now leads the best-of-seven series two games to one.
The Bruins took a 1-0 lead early in the second period, only for Buffalo to respond seven minutes later.
Alex Tuch then scored four minutes into the third period to give the Sabres the lead, followed by an empty-netter from Noah Ostlund to seal the deal.
Tanner Jeannot scored the lone goal for the Bruins, while Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves in defeat.
The Bruins had plenty of chances to tie the game late, including two separate power plays in the last eight minutes of the third period.
Ultimately, they failed to cash in, due to some timely saves by Alex Lyon and some missed opportunities for the Bruins.
Jeannot started the scoring with a wrist shot through traffic, beating Lyon to make it 1-0 Bruins 3:26 into the second period.
Byram got evened the score with a one-timer that beat Swayman after deflecting off the stick of James Hagens in front, making it a 1-1 game.
Tuch then gave the Sabres the lead 4:03 into the third, beating Swayman through traffic after some calamitous defending from the Bruins. 2-1 Sabres.
That was it for scoring, with Ostlund’s empty-netter coming with 1:24 left in the third.
Bruins lose, 3-1.
Game notes
- This was a very frustrating game to watch from a Bruins perspective, as they seemed to struggle to really get anything going on offense all night. Lyon deserves credit for making some stops here and there, but this wasn’t a game stolen by the opposing goalie. Instead, it was a game where the Bruins simply couldn’t generate any real offense, compounded by some equally frustrating play in their own zone.
- The officials appeared to miss a clear elbow to the head by Tuch on Mason Lohrei a few seconds before Tuch’s go-ahead goal. It came on a “reverse hit,” and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a penalty called on a player with possession of the puck like that, but it was one of those “accidentally on purpose” plays that Tuch got away with.
- Lohrei had himself a rough night in general, appearing to fight the puck pretty much every time he went back to retrieve it behind his own net. It’s probably a little harsh to single out Lohrei when none of the Bruins defensemen covered themselves in glory tonight, but his mistakes were notable.
- The B’s were let down in a big way by their power play tonight, going 0-for-4 — and that included going 0-for-2 in the last eight minutes of the third period. Down a goal, playoff game on home ice…you need something from your power play, and it simply didn’t deliver for the Bruins.
- Buffalo actually did the Bruins one better and went 0-for-5 on the power play, though one of those was an afterthought “power play” with nine seconds left in the game, so I’m not sure that counts.
- While Lyon didn’t stand on his head for the Sabres, he deserves credit for coming up huge for Buffalo by stopping a Viktor Arvidsson penalty shot midway through the second period. Arvidsson was slashed by Rasmus Dahlin and awarded a penalty shot, but Lyon turned it aside. The Sabres tied the game 68 seconds later.
- That Arvidsson miss was one of several missed opportunities on the night for the Bruins. A third period one-timer from Morgan Geekie, shot directly into Lyon in the middle of the net, comes to mind, as do a few other looks late in the game.
- The Bruins were boosted by their second line and by David Pastrnak’s performance in Game 2, but those players were unable to make an impact in Game 2. I’m not sure if it’s part of the book on Lyon, but Pastrnak seemed determined to go five-hole at every opportunity. Elias Lindholm didn’t land a shot on net, and neither did Casey Mittelstadt. Geekie only had two. In fact, the Bruins were credited with 25 shots on net, and Zacha, Pastrnak, and Arvidsson recorded 14 of them.
- Lindy Ruff deserves credit for pulling the right lever by inserting Noah Ostlund into the lineup, as the rookie assisted Tuch’s goal and scored the empty-netter. Not bad for your first-ever NHL playoff game.
- While they brought some good energy in Games 1 and 2, Marco Sturm may have some thoughts about his third line heading into Game 4. Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, and James Hagens combined for just a single shot on goal, and Hagens only got three shifts in the third period. This isn’t to suggest that the third line has been the Bruins’ biggest problem, just that it might be the easiest one for Sturm to shake up.
So…there you have it: missed opportunities + own-zone miscues is, generally speaking, not a great recipe for a good result.
Still, 2 games to 1. No real reason to panic.
These two teams will now enjoy two full days between games, with Game 4 slated for Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
