Boston Bruins
The Bruins will have a tough test against a Sabres team that has posted a record of 39-9-4 since Dec. 9.
The Bruins will take on the Sabres in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
The Boston Bruins now know their opponent for the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston will begin their latest playoff run with a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, with the Bruins securing that showdown on Tuesday by beating the New Jersey Devils in their regular-season finale.
Boston’s 4-0 win over the Devils locked the Bruins into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference — setting them up for a bout with the Atlantic Division champion in Buffalo.
Playoff games set to begin on Saturday and Sunday; the NHL has not yet announced a schedule for Boston’s first-round matchup. Buffalo holds home-ice advantage in the series, with Games 1 and 2 to be held at KeyBank Center.
It’s been an unexpected season for both the Bruins and Sabres.
After plummeting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 33-39-10 record (76 points) last season, the Bruins have righted the ship in short order under Marco Sturm.
Spurred by the first-year head coach, several star talents, and buy-in from multiple newcomers, the Bruins closed out the regular-season slate with a 45-27-10 record (100 points).
The Sabres secured their first playoff berth since 2011, snapping what was the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
Fueled by a promising young core of players headlined by Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, the Sabres stormed their way into the playoff picture by way of an unexpected run that began in December.
On Dec. 9, Buffalo sat dead last in the Eastern Conference with an 11-14-4 record. Since then, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league — going 39-9-4 since bottoming out.
Despite the Sabres’ lofty record, the Bruins have held their own against Buffalo this season, sporting a 3-1-0 record against them.
Buffalo has plenty working in its favor when it comes to its dynamic, puck-moving D corps and a balanced scoring output.
But, for all of the Sabres’ extended momentum, they’re also an unproven team in the postseason, while Boston should have the edge in net with Jeremy Swayman when compared to both Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Boston punched its ticket to Buffalo on Tuesday with a convincing performance against New Jersey, with the Bruins jumping out to a four-goal lead after the first 20 minutes of play.
Mark Kastelic scored twice, while David Pastrnak recorded his 100th point of the season off a primary helper on Morgan Geekie’s opening tally just 53 seconds into the contest.
Pastrnak became just the third Bruins player in franchise history to record at least four consecutive 100-point seasons after Bobby Orr (six times) and Phil Esposito (five times).
Tuesday also marked James Hagens’ first game at TD Garden. The 19-year-old more than held his own with several impressive O-zone shifts and sound plays during board battles. The Bruins’ top prospect logged 15:58 of ice time, landing one shot on goal.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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