Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres
NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres on Apr 21, 2026. Final score: Boston Bruins 4, Buffalo Sabres 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Apr 21, 2026 |
| Venue | KeyBank Center |
| Series | R1 Game 2: BUF 1-1 BOS |
| Boston Bruins score | 4 |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 2 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jonathan Aspirot | D | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14:22 | 0.02 | 1.63 |
| 2nd | Viktor Arvidsson | L | 2 | 0 | 5 | 13:52 | 0.49 | 1.55 |
| 3rd | Casey Mittelstadt | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13:23 | 0.13 | 1.28 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Boston Bruins–Buffalo Sabres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd 04:54 | BOS | Viktor Arvidsson | Jonathan Aspirot, Casey Mittelstadt | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 2nd 16:29 | BOS | Morgan Geekie | David Pastrnak, Sean Kuraly | 5v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 18:10 | BOS | Pavel Zacha | David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy | 4v5 | 3–0 |
| 3rd 00:16 | BOS | Viktor Arvidsson | Casey Mittelstadt, Jonathan Aspirot | 5v5 | 4–0 |
| 3rd 13:54 | BUF | Bowen Byram | Beck Malenstyn, Owen Power | 5v5 | 4–1 |
| 3rd 15:08 | BUF | Peyton Krebs | Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch | 6v5 | 4–2 |
Team Comparison
| Boston Bruins | Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 26 | 36 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.13 | 4.37 |
| High-danger shots | 12 | 19 |
| Corsi % | 40.4% | 59.6% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 54.5% | 45.5% |
| Hits | 32 | 30 |
| Blocks | 25 | 10 |
| Giveaways | 20 | 15 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 2 |
Boston Bruins Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Aspirot | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14:22 | 0.02 | 1.63 |
| Viktor Arvidsson | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 13:52 | 0.49 | 1.55 |
| Casey Mittelstadt | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13:23 | 0.13 | 1.28 |
| David Pastrnak | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20:04 | 0.28 | 1.18 |
| Pavel Zacha | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14:24 | 0.20 | 0.80 |
| Charlie McAvoy | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27:22 | 0.01 | 0.64 |
| Morgan Geekie | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16:17 | 0.00 | 0.60 |
| Sean Kuraly | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:48 | 0.00 | 0.59 |
| Marat Khusnutdinov | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:50 | 0.38 | 0.20 |
| Tanner Jeannot | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12:23 | 0.25 | 0.10 |
| Fraser Minten | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:04 | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| Mason Lohrei | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:17 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Hampus Lindholm | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27:40 | 0.46 | 0.05 |
| Elias Lindholm | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:18 | 0.12 | 0.00 |
| J. Hagens | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:35 | 0.16 | -0.05 |
| Mark Kastelic | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10:22 | 1.39 | -0.28 |
| Andrew Peeke | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:41 | 0.02 | -0.85 |
| Nikita Zadorov | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:53 | 0.03 | -0.95 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peyton Krebs | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13:13 | 0.37 | 0.75 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20:50 | 0.29 | 0.64 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 21:58 | 0.98 | 0.60 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 21:42 | 0.59 | 0.59 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 23:28 | 0.31 | 0.54 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9:40 | 0.00 | 0.44 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:12 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Conor Timmins | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:44 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:56 | 0.06 | 0.10 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:39 | 0.28 | 0.10 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:36 | 0.30 | 0.05 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:57 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Josh Dunne | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:29 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Josh Doan | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:04 | 0.08 | -0.05 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:28 | 0.00 | -0.05 |
| Logan Stanley | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:51 | 0.09 | -0.33 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:37 | 0.16 | -0.90 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16:55 | 0.80 | -0.95 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Swayman | Boston Bruins | 33 | 35 | 94.4% | 0.06 | W |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 16 | 20 | 78.9% | -2.63 | L |
| Alex Lyon | Buffalo Sabres | 7 | 7 | 100.0% | 0.27 |
Analysis
The Boston Bruins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4–2 on Apr 21, 2026.
Buffalo Sabres generated 4.37 expected goals to Boston Bruins's 4.13 — Buffalo Sabres owned the better of the chances but Boston Bruins took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Jonathan Aspirot led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.63 on 2 assists, 1 shots on goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres game?
The Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 4–2 on Apr 21, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Boston Bruins 4, Buffalo Sabres 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Jonathan Aspirot led all skaters at 1.63, on 0G, 2A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Buffalo Sabres generated 4.37 expected goals and Boston Bruins generated 4.13, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Boston Bruins put 26 shots on goal and Buffalo Sabres put 36. High-danger chances went 12 to 19.