Bruins to battle Buffalo Sabres in first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Boston Bruins now know their opponent in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Boston will begin its latest playoff run with a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, with the Bruins securing that showdown on Tuesday by defeating the New Jersey Devils in the regular-season finale.

Boston’s 4-0 win over the Devils secured the Bruins’ first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference — setting them up for a matchup with the reigning Atlantic Division champion in Buffalo.

The playoff matches are scheduled to begin on Saturday and Sunday; The NHL has yet to announce a schedule for Boston’s first-round matchup. Buffalo has home-ice advantage in the series, as Games 1 and 2 will be held at KeyBank Center.

It’s been an unexpected season for both the Bruins and Sabres.

After languishing near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 33-39-10 (76 points) record last season, the Bruins have righted the ship in their short time under the Bruins. Marco Storm.

Thanks to a first-year coach, several star talents, and the involvement of several newcomers, the Bruins finished the regular season with a record of 45-27-10 (100 points).

The Sabers earned their first playoff berth since 2011, snapping the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.

Buoyed by a group of promising young players led by Rasmus Dahlin and Taj Thompson, the Sabers stormed their way into the playoffs via an unexpected run that began in December.

On December 9, Buffalo sat dead last in the Eastern Conference with an 11-14-4 record. Since then, they’ve become one of the best teams in the league, going 39-9-4 since hitting bottom.

Despite the Sabers’ lofty record, the Bruins have maintained their lead against Buffalo this season, compiling a 3-1-0 record against them.

Buffalo has a lot going in its favor when it comes to a dynamic D-Team that moves the puck and produces balanced scoring.

But, despite their extended momentum, the Sabers are also an unproven team in the postseason, while Boston should have the advantage in net with… Jeremy Swayman When compared to both Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Boston booked its ticket to Buffalo on Tuesday with a convincing performance against New Jersey, as the Bruins jumped out to a four-goal lead after the first 20 minutes of play.

Mark Kastelich scored twice, while David Pastrnak scored his 100th point of the season off a key assist on Morgan Geiki’s opening tally just 53 seconds into the contest.

Pastrnak became the third Bruins player in franchise history to record at least four consecutive 100-point seasons after Bobby Orr (six times) and Phil Esposito (five times).

Tuesday also marked James Hagens’ first game at TD Garden. The 19-year-old has held his own with several impressive O-zone transitions and vocal runs during plate battles. The Bruins’ top prospect logged 15:58 of ice time and had one shot on goal.

Connor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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