Sabres ambush Bruins, take 3-1 series lead
Buffalo Sabres' Zach Benson (6) scores on Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman (1) during the first period in Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Sunday in Boston. (AP Photo)
Sabres ambush Bruins, take 3-1 series lead BOSTON (AP) — Sabres coach Lindy Ruff shut down any talk of putting forwards Tyson Kozak and Jason Zucker back in after injuries sent them to the locker room late in Game 4 of Buffalo’s first-round playoff series against the Bruins. “I said ‘There’s no need to return at this time,'” Ruff said on Sunday after the Sabres waylaid the Bruins 6-1 in Boston. “Just treat them and leave them in the dressing room. Just for where the game was at.” It was that kind of day for Buffalo — and Boston. Josh Doan had a goal and an assist during Buffalo’s four-goal first-period, and Alex Lyon stopped 21 shots to help the Sabres take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Buffalo, which fell behind in each of the first three games, took a 6-0 lead before the Bruins got on the board in the final minute. “I am embarrassed, and we all should be,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. “And we’re all (upset), and we will talk about it, but then we have to move on. “As far as I know, you have to win four games to move on. They’ve got three, so that means we still have a chance,” he said. “And I can cry about it, but I also have to push my guys for the next game and make sure our intensity is going to be there.” Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson and Bowen Byram also scored to help Buffalo open a 4-0 lead. Beck Malenstyn and Alex Tuch scored 84 seconds apart in the third period to make it 6-0 and chase Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman. Boston split the games in Buffalo and needed just one win at home to avoid moving to the brink of elimination. Instead the Sabres, who won the Atlantic Division to end an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought, can finish off the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Buffalo for their first playoff series win since 2007. “They beat us once in our building, so I’m sure that they’re going to come in feeling confident and motivated. We have to be ready for that,” Lyon said. “Sometimes when you have a really good game, it’s almost harder to a degree to curb that emotion. So, enjoy it for a hot second, and then we’ve got a job to do.” Swayman stopped 23 shots for Boston before he was pulled at 46 minutes, 41 seconds, shouting down the bench in frustration as he left the ice. Joonas Korpisalo stopped all six shots he faced the rest of the way. “At least the one guy” showed emotion, Sturm said. “It was not his fault today, I can tell you that. Felt bad for him. That’s why we kept him in there for a while, because he’s a battler. He wants to be in.” Krebs scored 4:17 into the game, Doan’s goal came less than three minutes later and Benson followed two minutes after that. When Byram made it 4-0 just 14:24 into the game, it was Buffalo’s second four-goal period of the series; the Sabres rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to win 4-3 in Game 1. The last time the Bruins allowed four goals in the first period of a playoff game, they were facing the Hartford Whalers in the first round of the 1991 postseason. Sean Kuraly scored a short-handed goal in the final minute to avert the Bruins’ first shoutout of the season. The Sabres lost Kozak after a hit from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy midway through the third period sent him into the boards. It wasn’t clear what happened to Zucker, who last appeared in the play-by-play with about five minutes left. Buffalo’s power-play woes continued — sort of. After failing to score on their first 13 man advantages in the series — and their last 22 in the regular season — the Sabres’ second goal came just after a Boston penalty expired, but before Viktor Arvidsson had gotten back into play. But they were officially 0 for 2 on the power play, extending their drought to 15 in the series and 37 overall. “You could say we’re going to be 0-for-whatever. I really don’t care right now,” Ruff said. “As far as I’m concerned, we scored a power-play goal. The guy was still in the box, and it looked good.” AVALANCHE 5, KINGS 1 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Nicolas Roy and Devon Toews scored in the third period, and top-seeded Colorado swept Los Angeles out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a victory in Game 4. Cale Makar also scored and Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs ended the 20-year career of Kings captain Anze Kopitar, who announced his pending retirement in September. The Slovenian center is the top scorer in franchise history and a two-time Selke Trophy winner, and he was a star on the Kings’ two Stanley Cup championship teams in 2012 and 2014 before spending the past decade as their captain. The Kings crowd repeatedly chanted “Kopi! Kopi!” in the final minutes of the blowout, and he got standing ovations when he came out for his final two shifts. The Avalanche all greeted Kopitar warmly while he led the postgame handshake line. He then circled at center ice with his arm raised while his teammates banged their sticks on the ice for his final farewell. With a masterful four-game demonstration of the roster-wide talent on a team ready to win it all, Colorado advanced to face the winner of the heavyweight first-round series between Dallas and Minnesota. Those clubs are tied heading to Game 5 on Tuesday, meaning the Avs will get at least five consecutive days off before the second round, and quite possibly more. LIGHTNING 3, CANADIENS 2 MONTREAL (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored his NHL playoffs-leading fifth and sixth goals in the third period and Tampa Bay rallied to beat Montreal in Game 4 to tie the series. After the first three games in the first-round series went to overtime, Tampa Bay overcame a two-goal deficit to end it in regulation. Hagel gave the Lightning the lead with 4:43 left, deflecting Nikita Kucherov’s shot past Jakub Dobes. Jake Guentzel had a goal and assist, and Kucherov added two assists on the top line with Hagel. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 16 saves. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Tampa. DUCKS 4, OILERS 3, OT ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Poehling scored 2:29 into overtime, and Anaheim pushed Connor McDavid and Edmonton to the brink of first-round elimination with a victory in Game 4. Jeffrey Viel tied it with 6:29 left in regulation for the Ducks, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit and another third-period hole before taking a 3-1 series lead with their third consecutive victory over the back-to-back Western Conference champion Oilers. The Ducks won when Poehling’s sharp-angled shot reluctantly trickled under Edmonton goalie Tristan Jarry, who had played well in his first playoff start for his new team. An extensive video review revealed no reason to overturn the judgment on the ice that the puck had barely crossed the goal line underneath Jarry’s skate. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Edmonton.