Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres Game 2 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds

An insane Game 1 comeback has the Buffalo Sabres up in their first-round series over the Boston Bruins.

KeyBank Arena was pure chaos on Sunday night, as the Sabres took a 4-3 win for their first playoff win since April 22, 2011. Can the Sabres keep their swagger intact to take a 2-0 lead into Boston?

The NHL odds have the Sabres as the -185 favourites in Game 2, with the OVER/UNDER set at an even 6.0 goals. Expect the city of Buffalo to be electric for the 7:30 p.m. EST puck drop on Tuesday night.

Bruins vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds

The series opener sat 1-0 Bruins for over half the game, before an electric third period, which featured six goals, helping the game hit the OVER. Including the regular season, this was the fifth meeting of the season between these squads and the third game to end 4-3. A majority of bettors are siding with Buffalo in Game 2, with 72 per cent of moneyline action going on the Sabres.

The Sabres opened the series as the -189 favourite to win it, but after a huge win in Game 1, the odds have swung further in their favour, sitting at -333 before Game 2. A gentleman’s sweep (4-1 BUF) is the favoured outcome of the series, paying out at +290.

David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie each had three points (1G, 2A) in the opener for Boston, while Tage Thompson stole the show for the Sabres with two goals and an assist. These three forwards are the favourites to lead the series in points, Pasta leading the way at +125, ahead of Thompson (+230) and Geekie (+400).

Boston Bruins

The Bruins looked like they were going to steal Game 1, despite being outplayed for the majority of the contest. Geekie opened the scoring midway through the first, hammering a Pastrnak rebound past the Buffalo goalie on their third shot of the game. Elias Lindholm put the B’s up 2-0 just over a minute into the third period, which absolutely sucked the life out of the home crowd.

Jeremy Swayman was dialled in through the first 52 minutes of the game, stopping 31 straight shots. The Sabres then put three past him in just 4:34, all of which he would like to get back. Our NHL futures board has a line dedicated to Swayman’s saves in each game. You can take him to stop 23 or more in each game of the series, which pays out +290. Considering Buffalo has averaged over 28 shots per game this season, this could be an easy payout.

If the Bruins want to head home with this thing tied at 1-1, they need to do a better job at handling Buffalo’s speed. They were outshot, outhit and outplayed in Game 1, but this veteran lineup likely will not panic this early in the series.

Buffalo Sabres

The Cinderella story continued for Buffalo into Game 1 of the postseason, like most fans hockey fans were hoping it would. After outplaying Boston for most of the game, they were finally able to sneak one past the Bruins netminder, thanks to a Thompson wrap-around. That goal sent KeyBank Arena into a frenzy, as the crowd was getting tense, seeing their team down 2-0 with less than 10 minutes to go. It took Thompson just 3:42 to get on the board again, slipping one past the goalie’s glove to tie things up. The tied game swung all the momentum in their favour, and Mattias Samuelsson capitalized with 3:24 to go, giving the Sabres their first lead of the postseason. Alex Tuch scored into the empty net to make it 4-2, and his goal stood as the game winner in the 4-3 final.

The Sabres’ big dogs did not look like they were tasting the playoffs for the first time, as they came out hot and scored big goals when it mattered most. They threw 53 hits in the contest, pushing around a Bruins team that is not easily intimidated. With the weight of the city on their shoulders, the Sabres exceeded expectations in Game 1. They hope to keep that momentum going Tuesday night.