Boston Bruins
Pastrnak’s overtime goal set up a Game 6 between the Bruins and Sabers on Friday night at TD Garden.
David Pastrnak scored in overtime to seal the Game 5 win in Buffalo. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
David Pastrnak and the Bruins will live to play another day.
The Bruins star winger kept Boston’s season going for at least one more game Tuesday, scoring at 9:14 in overtime to lead the Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Sabers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.
Boston still trails Buffalo, 3-2, in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 between the Bruins and Sabers is scheduled for Friday, with puck drop scheduled for TD Garden at 7:30 p.m.
Pastrnak gave the Bruins new life in the extra frame after a one-on-one play in the defensive zone.
After Marat Khusnutdinov blocked a pass near Buffalo’s blue line, the ball slid to Hampus Lindholm. The veteran blueliner fired a pass down the other end of the ice to Pastrnak, hitting the forward in stride.
With Mattias Samuelsson in pursuit, Pastrnak faked Buffalo goaltender Alex Leon with a quick set of kicks — tucking the puck behind his outstretched pads to seal the road win at KeyBank Center.
Pastrnak did his best impression of Sean Kuraly’s glass-jumping celebration — laughing at several Buffalo fans while his teammates surrounded him.
You can watch Pastrnak’s season-saving tally here:
Tuesday’s 2-1 win was a welcome sight for the Bruins, coming off an embarrassing 6-1 loss to Buffalo on Sunday in Game 4.
While Pastrnak performed heroics in extra time, Jeremy Swayman Once again he led the way down the other end of the ice to Boston. The Bruins’ top goaltender stopped 25 of 26 shots, including several top-notch chances in the third period amid a 1-1 stalemate.
Pastrnak has now scored the final two overtime goals in the Bruins’ playoff game. He scored the winning goal to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their first-round series in May 2024.
The Bruins will now look to hold their series to three games each at TD Garden, where they have worked hard over the past few playoff rounds.
“Just stay loud, please, and be patient,” Pastrnak said on NESN of his message to fans on Friday. “We’ll shoot the puck – don’t worry.”
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