Noah Ostlund made his playoff debut for the Buffalo Sabres on April 24, helping the team secure a 3-1 victory against the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of their first-round series at TD Garden.
The win gives the Sabres a 2-1 lead in the series, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Boston. Ostlund, who missed the first two games due to an upper-body injury, contributed both an assist and an empty-net goal. “I was a little bit nervous, but it was fun,” Ostlund said. “And we got the win too.”
Alex Lyon started as goaltender for Buffalo and made 24 saves, including stopping a penalty shot from Viktor Arvidsson when the Sabres were trailing by one goal during the second period. Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch each scored their second goals of these playoffs. Byram credited Ostlund’s playmaking: “Honestly, he kind of surprised me a bit there,” Byram said. “I wasn’t sure he was going to get it through to me. Unreal pass by him for sure.” Tuch also praised his teammate’s effort: “Jumping right in, he hasn’t played a game in a couple weeks, first-ever playoff hockey game in his rookie year… That’s special… But honestly, the compete, he went in there every single shift… and he was phenomenal tonight.”
Coach Lindy Ruff joked about Ostlund’s empty-netter against David Pastrnak: “The scouting report on Pastrnak when he’s in goal is you’ve got to go five-hole.” Ruff also spoke about preparing for future games: “That’s the battle of the playoffs: You’ve got to be ready to put away a big win,” Ruff said. “We have to be ready to put this game away and get ready for a really desperate team on Sunday in their building.”
Lyon highlighted how playing time helped build confidence after returning from injury earlier this month: “We came in with a great mindset and you could feel it… that we were just going to send it for 60 minutes…”
The Sabres’ penalty kill unit continued its strong performance late into Game 3 by holding off two Bruins power plays during crucial moments.
Game 4 will take place Sunday at TD Garden at 2 p.m., airing locally on MSG with national coverage on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
