BOSTON – Just over four minutes into Sunday afternoon’s 6-1 annihilation of the Bruins, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson hectored an opponent along the wall, freeing the puck for linemate Alex Tuch to grab in the offensive zone.
When Tuch reached the right circle, he fed winger Peyton Krebs in the slot, and the winger quickly beat goalie Jeremy Swayman.
The goal at 4:17, the Sabres’ first in the opening 20 minutes during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, was a harbinger for the rest of the period in TD Garden.
In an utterly dominant display, the Sabres throttled the Bruins early in Game 4, causing chaos in the opposing zone and grabbing a 4-0 lead by the 14:24 mark.
At times, as they outshot the Bruins 19-5 in the first period, their advantage felt larger than four goals.
The Sabres now own a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. On Tuesday in Game 5 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, they can clinch their first postseason series win since 2007.
“I thought that first period was the best period we played all year,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “Puck pressure, scoring opportunities. As well as we’ve moved the puck and got the puck up ice. We didn’t spend much time in our end.”
While the Sabres have played well at times in the series – they roared back late in Game 1 to stun Boston and found a groove over the final 40 minutes in Game 3 that they carried into Sunday – they hadn’t put together a 60-minute effort. They hadn’t pounced on the Bruins early and imposed their will.
On Sunday, the Sabres showcased a tenacious forecheck that created turnovers and gave the Bruins fits.
“I just feel it was like the previous game,” Ruff said. “The next man was right there on every pass. I think we had good legs, we had good energy. When we have good energy, we get to places. Our feet were moving. I think that’s the biggest deal. Our feet were moving. We weren’t standing around.”
Krebs said the speedy Sabres are at their best when they’re on their toes.
“Just consistently on the forecheck making their D make mistakes,” he said. “I think we did that right off the hop. They felt it and we continued to put the pressure on.”
Winger Josh Doan scored at 7:10. Winger Zach Benson made it 3-0 at 9:15, capitalizing after Doan forced a turnover. Defenseman Bowen Byram scored for the third straight game later in the first period.
The contingency of Sabres fans was so large that loud roars for each goal and “Sway-man” chants could be heard throughout the rink.
When the first period mercifully ended for the Bruins, many fans in the capacity crowd of 17,850 booed them off the ice.
After that rollicking first period, the Sabres settled in, playing a mature game and withstanding any pushes from the Bruins.
“Sometimes it’s not always about trying to outpush them; sometimes it’s about accepting the push,” said Sabres goalie Alex Lyon, who made 23 saves. “You’re not going to be on your toes for 60 minutes; it’s just an unrealistic task. So I thought we did a great job of keeping them to the outside.”
Clearly, after some early-series jitters – 13 Sabres have made their postseason debut – they’ve settled in, acclimated to the rigors of playoff hockey and gotten back to what makes them successful.
“That first game it was you kind of go to the rink and you really don’t know what to expect,” said Sabres defenseman Owen Power, who’s playing in his first postseason. “But being able to play in four games now, everyone kind of comes in every knowing what to expect. …
“Those nerves have settled down, and I think we’re a lot more comfortable with it.”
After winger Beck Malenstyn and Tuch scored in the third period, the Bruins mercifully pulled Swayman and replaced him with Joonas Korpisalo.
The Bruins, of course, look finished.
In the waning minutes, defenseman Nikita Zadorov melted down, igniting a melee by cross-checking Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin and trying to punch him.
Zadorov earned a cross-checking major and a game misconduct.
“It’s not a play you want,” Ruff said. “I’m pretty sure if that’s the regular season, that might even be a suspension. He could have easily broken Ras’ arm with the cross-check.”
Sean Kuraly scored 19:20 into the third period for the Bruins, ending Lyon’s shutout bid. Lyon has been rock solid in each of his starts after replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, allowing one goal in both games.
“I hate the goal we gave up as a team after how well he’s played,” Ruff said. “But he’s really confident between the pipes right now.”
Forwards Tyson Kozak, who crashed into the boards, and Jason Zucker both left the game in the third period with undisclosed injuries and did not return.
Ruff did not have an update on the players, but said there was talk of them returning.
“I said there’s no need to return at this time,” he said. “Just treat them and leave them in the dressing room, just for where the game was at.”
