BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� When Hampus Lindholm got the puck inside Boston’s blue line after teammate Fraser Minten broke up the Buffalo Sabres’ rush, and the Bruins defenseman knew immediately who to look for.
Sure enough, there was David Pastrnak already heading toward Buffalo鈥檚 zone.
Set up by Lindholm, Pastrnak scored on a breakaway 9:14 into overtime, and the Bruins avoided elimination with a 2-1 win in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
鈥淗e鈥檚 pretty special when it comes to those opportunities, too, so it was fun to see it go in,鈥� Lindholm said.
Pastrnak said the chemistry he has with Lindholm is a result of them being neighbors.
鈥淲e always call it the neighbor connection,鈥� Pastrnak said. 鈥淪eems like anytime he has the puck and I have an opening, I have the confidence that he鈥檚 gonna find me.鈥�
The series shifts back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday night, with Buffalo still seeking to clinch its first playoff series victory since eliminating the New York Rangers in six games of a 2007 second-round series. The Sabres are in the playoffs for only the third time since, and after snapping an this year.
Elias Lindholm also scored for Boston which overcame a 1-0 deficit. Jeremy Swayman stopped 25 shots, including foiling Jason Zucker set up in front 3:30 into the extra period.
Rasmus Dahlin scored for Buffalo and Alex Lyon stopped 27 shots.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always lurking,鈥� Lyon said of Pastrnak, whom the goalie robbed on several chances. 鈥淥bviously, he鈥檚 one of the best players in the league,鈥� Lyon added of a player who reached the 100-point mark for a fourth straight season. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just one play at the end from a really good player. That鈥檚 usually how these things go. And now it鈥檚 just incumbent on us to move forward.鈥�
The Sabres were caught up ice, and the Bruins jumped into making a line change, with Pastrnak coming off the bench as the turnover occurred.
Accepting Lindholm鈥檚 pass in stride as he crossed Buffalo鈥檚 blue line, Pastrnak drove in on net a step ahead of Buffalo鈥檚 Mattias Samuelsson. He faked cutting across the front and nearly lost his balance before slipping the puck inside the right post.
鈥淗e always gets it done. And what a nice finish from him,鈥� coach Marco Sturm said of the 12th-year player. 鈥淚鈥檓 just very happy because this guy puts a lot of pressure on himself and he wants to be the difference. And today he was.鈥�
The goal was the 41st of Pastrnak鈥檚 playoff career, and second in overtime. He scored Boston鈥檚 last overtime goal, also coming in an elimination game, to seal the Bruins鈥� 2-1 win over Toronto in Game 7 of their 2024 first-round series.
Lindholm tied it 9:24 into the second period after his bad-angle shot bounced into the slot. Lindholm got to the loose puck first and, with his back to the net, spun around and fired in a low shot through a crowd.
Dahlin opened the scoring at 3:35 with his first playoff goal, and Buffalo鈥檚 first power-play goal in nearly a month. Driving up the left wing, Zucker鈥檚 initial pass attempt was blocked before recovering the puck and feeding Dahlin for a one-timer in the right circle.
The Sabres had gone 0-of-17 with the man advantage this series, and entered the playoffs failing to convert 22 straight chances, dating to a 4-3 on March 31.
The Bruins played without , who was hurt in the first period of Game 4 on Sunday.
Buffalo lost rookie forward Noah Ostlund to a lower-body injury in the first period.
Coach Lindy Ruff didn鈥檛 reveal what the injury was, but said, 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 look good.鈥� Ostlund had just returned to the lineup from an upper-body injury in , in which he had a goal and assist.
The Bruins have won back-to-back outings in Buffalo after squandering a 2-0 lead in the final 7:58 of . The Sabres won both outings in Buffalo, and were coming off on Sunday.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a good spot. We should be ready for the next one,鈥� Dahlin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tight game and stuff happens, so we鈥檙e ready for going to Boston.鈥�
___
AP NHL playoffs: and
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
