BUFFALO – With about 3:30 left in the third period of Sunday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs opener and the game tied at 2, the Sabres shot the puck in the Boston Bruins zone and went to work creating the go-ahead goal in their thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 victory.
After goalie Jeremy Swayman stopped the puck for Hampus Lindholm behind the net, Sabres winger Jack Quinn expected the defenseman to rim it around the boards.
But Lindholm broke his stick, so Quinn, who had skated to the end wall after being cut off on the forecheck, said the puck moved a lot slower than he expected.
When he grabbed the puck and put his head up, he was facing a stickless Lindholm one-on-one and blew right by him into the right circle.
He quickly spotted Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who was open around the top of the left circle and calling for the puck.
“I was able to dish it over to him,” Quinn said Monday in KeyBank Center.
Samuelsson beat a screened Swayman short side, giving the Sabres their first lead and whipping the capacity crowd into a frenzy.
“I just tried to call for it,” Samuelsson said following the game. “Quinner made an unbelievable play.”
So did Sabres winger Jason Zucker, who never let Swayman see the shot.
“There’s a veteran guy that has been there before in a key moment, found that area in front of the goaltender that completely took his eyes away,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “Got to love Samuelsson with the perfect shot. He’s had a number of goals this year where he’s either flash screen or go in front of the goaltender and tipped it or got the rebound.”
This place is going nuts! Mattias Samuelsson 3-2!#LetsGoBuffalo #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/wEFFaWNQqn
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) April 20, 2026