By: Andrew Patten | Follow me on Twitter/X @a_patten11
One year ago, the Boston Bruins were skating off the ice at TD Garden after an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils to close out the 2024-25 National Hockey League season. Fast forward to now, and the Bruins are getting prepared for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 45-27-10 and hit the 100-point mark. Good enough to take the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Something a majority of fans didn’t see coming.
With earning the number one wild card spot, the Bruins will face the Atlantic Division champion Buffalo Sabres in the opening round. It’ll be the ninth time both teams have squared off in the postseason. Their previous eight matchups have been filled with memorable moments that Bruins fans still talk about, and the upcoming showdown is destined to add more. Today, we’re diving into the top five Bruins-Sabres playoff moments.
#5 – 1991-92 Adams Division Semi-Finals Game 7
After the Bruins took a commanding 3-1 series lead, Buffalo fought back, winning Games Five and Six to send the series back to Boston Garden for a winner-take-all Game Seven. Glen Murray opened the scoring for Boston towards the end of the first period, but the Sabres would tie the game on a short-handed goal by Pat LaFontaine.
Tied at one entering the final 20 minutes, Steve Leach scored just a little over two minutes into the period to reclaim the lead. It wouldn’t last long, though, as the Sabers would tie the game again just two minutes later. It would remain that way until Dave Reid scored his second goal of the series with a little over eight minutes left in the game. It would hold up as the game winner and send Boston into the Division Finals.
#4 – 2009-10 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals Game 2
An underrated game from the last time Buffalo and Boston faced off in the postseason. The Sabres were the top dogs in the Northeast Division, led by star forward Thomas Vanek, young defenseman Tyler Myers, and Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller. Buffalo took Game One and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game Two.
The Bruins would start to generate some offense and tie up the game in the second period thanks to goals from Michael Ryder and Zdeno Chara, but towards the end of the frame, Jason Pominville got Buffalo the lead right back heading into the final 20 minutes. It was Ryder and Chara again who would find the back of the net to turn the momentum back in Boston’s favor and take a 4-3 lead. Mark Recchi would eventually seal the deal with an empty net goal and tie the series at one game apiece.
#3 – 2009-10 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals Game 4
Easily the best game of the series, this showdown had everything. After Boston’s Game Three win, they led the series 2-1, putting pressure on the Sabres. Buffalo led 2-0 after 40 minutes, eyeing a trip back to Western New York with the series even. The Bruins, however, responded quickly. David Krejci made it 2-1 on the power play, and, just four minutes later, Patrice Bergeron tied it. Suddenly, Buffalo’s lead vanished.
The tie survived into the second overtime. In that tense OT, Buffalo took a costly too-many-men penalty, giving Boston a power play. Miroslav Satan then scored his first goal of the playoffs, sealing a 3-1 series lead for Boston over the Sabres.
#2 – 1987-88 Adams Division Semi-Finals Game 5
The Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the series, but Buffalo won Games Three and Four, setting up a crucial fifth game at Boston Garden. In the first period, play unfolded much as it had earlier in the series: after 20 minutes, the Bruins led 2-0 thanks to goals from Steve Kasper and Rick Middleton. However, in the second period, Buffalo responded with two goals to tie the game heading into the third.
Early in the final frame, Boston was determined to halt the Sabres’ momentum, as Ken Linseman scored just 70 seconds in to regain the lead. Five minutes later, Tom McCarthy added another for some breathing room. The Sabres then cut the deficit back to one, but Rick Middleton restored Boston’s two-goal advantage with his second tally of the game. In the final minutes, Buffalo pressured again and closed the gap to 1, but the Bruins held on and secured the series lead.
#1 – 1982-83 Adams Division Finals Game 7
After plumbing the Sabres in Game Five 9-0, Boston was poised to finish off Buffalo in Game Six. Instead, the Sabres put their Game Five embarrassment behind them and beat the Bruins, forcing a Game Seven at Boston Garden. Twenty-five minutes into the game, the Bruins faced a 2-0 deficit. Then, Barry Pederson and Brad Park scored two goals in less than three minutes, tying the game. The third period ended scoreless, sending the game to overtime.
Less than two minutes into the extra frame, Brad Park scored one of the most memorable goals in Bruins’ history. After his initial shot was blocked, there was a scramble for the puck in front of Buffalo’s net; as the puck trickled out to Park, he slapped it into the open net, winning the game and series for the Bruins.
While the Sabres may not rival the Canadiens or Maple Leafs in intensity, Boston and Buffalo have built a history of moments that stick with both fan bases. Their upcoming meeting in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff promises to add another memorable chapter to this storied series.
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