The Buffalo Sabres were not able to do it again.
For the second game in a row, the Sabres fell behind the Boston Bruins and were unable to solve goaltender Jeremy Swayman until late in the third period. But unlike in Game 1, when Buffalo stormed back to win 4-3, the Bruins were able to stave off any late-game heroics en route to a 4-2 victory to knot the best-of-7 series, 1-1.
Oddsmakers have established Game 3, which takes place in Boston on Thursday night, as a pick’em.
The Bruins got a crucial bounce in Game 2 when Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen surrendered a goal from the red line, but the end result wasn’t a fluke. Boston went toe-to-toe with the high-octane Sabres and came out as victors.
Swayman’s heroics were the difference, but the Bruins also dictated play for the first 40 minutes, holding an edge in expected goals (1.57 to 0.93), shot attempts (30-29), and high-danger scoring chances (7-5) at 5-on-5.
It wasn’t until the score effects took over that Buffalo started tilting the ice to erase a four-goal deficit.
Coming into the series, it was accepted that a wide-open, high-event game would favor the Sabres, but the Bruins have shown they may actually have the edge in a back-and-forth affair.
Oftentimes, when teams trade chances all night, it comes down to which goaltender makes the big save or avoids giving up the soft goal, and right now, the B’s will be confident that Swayman will be that guy.
After putting up Vezina-caliber numbers in the regular season, the Alaska native has been superb in Round 1, putting up a .931 save percentage and a +2.1 Goals Saved Above Expected.
And what’s more concerning for Buffalo is that it now has a goaltending mess to sort out. Luukkonen had strong numbers in the regular season, but this is his first go-round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and his backup, Alex Lyon, could be called into action for Game 3.
Lyon also had a solid regular season, and he’s had some playoff heroics in the past, but he’s barely played any hockey this month. The journeyman got 14 minutes of icetime when spelled Luukkonen in Game 2, but his last start came on April 4.
As long as Swayman continues to roll, Boston will have value in this series.
The Play: Bruins moneyline (-110, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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