2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Preview: Sabres vs. Bruins

For the past 15 years, the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins have lived completely opposite experiences.

From 2012 through 2025, when the Sabres played a grand total of zero playoff games, the Bruins posted the second-most post-season victories (69) of any team in the NHL.

But as any hockey fan in Western New York can tell you, not only is the drought over, but the Sabres have also won their division for the first time since 2010.

The team that knocked them out of the playoffs in Round 1 as a lower seed that year? Yep, these same Bruins.

From Rick Jeanneret’s famous “May Day” call 33 years ago — celebrating Buffalo’s shocking four-game sweep of the favoured Bruins that concluded with an all-time OT marker by Brad May — to another series-ending strike 10 years before that, when Boston's Brad Park sent the Sabres packing with a Game 7, overtime goal in 1983, these clubs have combined for some memorable playoff moments. 

Of course, the Sabres are creating a meaningful memory for a new generation of fans simply by making the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after a 14-year absence.

And, really, saying Buffalo has “made” the post-season is underselling it; the Sabres are charging into the derby as one of the best teams in the league. In fact, since the calendar flipped to 2026, Buffalo’s .733 points percentage is the top number in the NHL.

Less celebrated, though, is the fact the third-best mark belongs to Boston (.683).

The Bruins were never going to win a narrative battle with Buffalo given the protracted heartache there, but Boston’s quick turnaround from a team that finished 28th overall last year to one that immediately returned to the playoffs — on 100 points, no less — is very impressive. 

Now, whether you’re a young Sabres fan who’s never seen your team in the playoffs or a spoiled Bruins backer who thinks one spring away was too long, you can look forward to a Boston-Buffalo series with the potential to create another classic moment. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Sabres: 1-1-2
Bruins: 3-1-0

Sabres X-Factor: Home-ice advantage

The atmosphere at KeyBank Center for Game 1 is going to be unhinged and the Sabres have to hope they can ride the wave of a crowd that will be going out of its mind. If ever there was a time to put stock in something as unquantifiable as “vibes,” this is it.

Bruins X-Factor: The newest young player

James Hagens may not even draw into the Bruins lineup for Game 1 of the series, but the seventh-overall pick from 2025 is an interesting new toy for coach Marco Sturm to consider. Hagens, once projected to be the top pick in his draft class, could provide a spark of offence on the third line if the B’s need it. He’s looked capable in the two games he suited up for after jumping to the NHL following his sophomore year at Boston College. 

ADVANCED STATS
(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

REGULAR SEASON STATS

BUFFALO STORYLINES

1. Playoff newbies 

As exciting as all this is for the Sabres, it goes without saying that this team is not long on playoff experience. From Tage Thompson to Rasmus Dahlin to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, just about all the key players on Buffalo will be making their NHL playoff debut. Of course, the counter to that is the steady hand at the rudder, Lindy Ruff. The veteran has been behind the bench for 132 career post-season contests, more than every coach in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs save Anaheim’s Joel Quenneville (225) and Tampa’s Jon Cooper (155). 

The Sabres play a go-for-it brand of hockey and it will be interesting to see how that translates to the second season, when things tend to clamp up a bit. That said, where Buffalo does profile as a team that’s built for spring is on the scale. The Sabres are a heavy squad that can lean on opponents and the defence corps, in particular, is loaded with tall bodies gripping long sticks that can make it seem like there’s nowhere for attackers to maneuver. 

Expect Boston’s bruising fourth line of Sean Kuraly between Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic to try and soften up the big Buffalo blue line.

2. Power outage 

The Sabres are one of the higher-scoring clubs in the league, but Buffalo’s power play really struggled down the stretch. Since March 10, the Sabres rank 30^th in the NHL with a PP conversion rate of just 14 per cent. Much of that is driven by an awful end to the season, which saw Buffalo go 0-for-22 in its final seven outings. Goals can obviously be harder to come by in the post-season and this squad is going to have to generate a timely PPG here and there to keep pace. 

3. Local boy done good 

Alex Tuch is a unique presence on the team, not only because he’s a Western New York native who grew up cheering for the Sabres, but because he’s the rare player on the club who brings a host of experience to the table thanks to his time with the Vegas Golden Knights. Combine playoff know-how with his big frame and soft touch, and it’s easy to see why Tuch could be a vital player for the squad. Of course, all this comes against the backdrop of the reality that, as a pending-UFA, his future with the Sabres is up in the air. Nobody is going to be more hyped for the return of playoff hockey to Buffalo than Tuch. 

BOSTON STORYLINES

1. Sway the series 

Jeremy Swayman was one of the top stoppers in hockey this year. Among goalies with at least 35 appearances, Swayman had the highest goals saved above expected/60 of any goalie in the league. Two years ago, Swayman was a huge reason Boston ousted Toronto in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a .950 SV% in six games versus the Leafs and finishing that post-season with a .933 mark in a dozen contests. If Boston wins this series, it’s easy to imagine Swayman being the No. 1 difference-maker. 

2. Scoring balance 

David Pastrnak is the 100-point megastar and fellow top-liner Morgan Geekie validated a breakout from last year with a monster 39-goal season this time out. But for the Bruins to do anything against Buffalo, the B’s need the second line of Pavel Zacha between former Sabre Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson to keep firing. Zacha’s 15 goals since March 1 are more than everyone in the league except Montreal’s Cole Caufield (16), and Arvidsson — acquired from the Oilers in a salary dump for a fifth-rounder — has 24 points in 22 outings during that span.

On the back end, Charlie McAvoy is producing at a higher rate than at any other point in his career, averaging a point-per-game in the back half of the season. Overall, where Buffalo lacks experience, the likes of McAvoy, Pastrnak and, to a lesser degree, Swayman — Boston’s most important players — have tons of playoff experience to draw on. 

3. Home cookin’ 

Every team that starts the playoffs on the road is happy to return home with a split, but if the Bruins can make it back to Boston with a win from the first two games in Buffalo, the B’s will be feeling extra confident about their chances. The Bruins were extremely tough to beat at TD Garden this season, finishing the year with a .720 points percentage on home ice that was second only to the Carolina Hurricanes (.732). Boston was the stingiest team in the league playing in friendly confines, surrendering just 2.54 goals per game. If they can grind out one road victory, the B’s may feel as though they can take care of the rest at home.

However, it should be noted that the Sabres were also tough to beat in their own building, posting the fourth-best home-ice points percentage at .695.