The Buffalo Sabres avoided a nightmare scenario — losing Game 1 at home against a Boston Bruins squad that's been dominant at TD Garden this season — but there are still some questions they must answer as the Atlantic Division rivals fight for a spot in the second round.
Buffalo is making its first postseason appearance since 2011, and several Sabres are getting their first taste of playoff action. So, the team's period-to-period performance may be a little more variable than a battle-tested group like the Tampa Bay Lightning or Colorado Avalanche.
Yet, the Sabres have outperformed expectations every step of the way since their sudden turnaround in early December, and their stunning comeback with four third-period goals in the series opener illustrated the club's elite upside when clicking on all cylinders.
Finding a way to maintain that level on a consistent basis will be essential if Buffalo is going to make a serious push toward a Stanley Cup title.
Can Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen handle the playoff spotlight?
Luukkonen looked like he was battling some nerves in his first career playoff start Sunday night. His movement was sluggish and overly mechanical, he struggled to corral even low-danger shots without yielding a rebound and his puck tracking on the Bruins' zone cycles was slow.
Yes, UPL deserves ample credit for coming up big on a couple Boston breakaways in the contest, so it wasn't an unredeemable outing by any means. He finished the night with just 17 saves on 20 shots (.850 save percentage), though.
The 27-year-old Finnish goaltender regained the full-time starting role with his strong play down the stretch, including a .918 SV% over his final 14 regular-season starts. That success should give him a little bit of breathing room atop Buffalo's goalie depth chart.
That said, the Sabres do have a pair of capable backup options. Alex Lyon was the team's backbone early on while Luukkonen was working back from training camp injuries and finished the campaign with a .906 SV%. Colten Ellis recently pitched a 37-save shutout against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
So, Buffalo does have options should UPL falter in the days (or weeks) ahead. It probably won't be a quick hook as head coach Lindy Ruff gives the netminder a fair chance to acclimate himself to postseason hockey, but it's something to monitor.
Will the Sabres' power play remain utterly useless?
We analyzed this problem at length on Monday. It stems from a lack of fresh ideas created by assistant coach Seth Appert (who runs the Buffalo power play) and not a lack of talent. The Sabres feature one of the league's most offensively gifted rosters (fifth in goals scored this season).
The Blue and Gold don't need a dominant power play to beat the Bruins, but they can't expect to go 0 for 4 every game and expect to seriously contend. Eventually the ineffectiveness in those key moments will catch up to them, either in this series or a future one.
Perhaps the biggest source of frustration is the lack of adjustments. The Sabres are running the same basic power play now — neutral-zone drop pass for entries and an ungodly amount of perimeter passing once the zone is established — that hasn't worked all season.
Why not try something different? In particular, Appert needs to figure out a way to generate more movement in the offensive zone. One the puck is passed, the players get to their appointed spots on the ice and just stand there. Nothing happens to create confusion for the opponent.
Barring a massive uptick in production during the remainder of the playoffs, Buffalo should be looking for a new assistant to lead the power play next season. Vinny Prospal, a former NHL player who's done a great job with the Rochester Americans' PP (the Sabres' AHL affiliate), is a possible solution.
How will Buffalo handle a hostile road environment in Boston?
The Bruins ranked second in the NHL in both home record (29-11-1) and home goal differential (plus-40) during the 2025-26 campaign. It helped the overcome mediocre play on the road (16-16-9) to earn one of the Eastern Conference's wild-card spots.
That's going to make trying to steal a game at TD Garden an uphill battle for the Sabres.
Buffalo did play well away from the KeyBank Center this season (24-13-4) but the atmosphere it's going to face in Boston is unlike anything this roster core has faced in the past. It's another one of those learning experiences that will be plentiful during this playoff run.
It'll also put added pressure on Ruff and his coaching staff from a matchup perspective. The Sabres rolled all four forward lines and three defense pairs in Game 1, but they'll want to avoid the Bruins being able to put their top line out there against the fourth line or bottom pair whenever possible.
Ruff's been through this song and dance countless times, both as a player and a coach, so he'll face a heavy burden to make sure his group is ready for the road challenges on the horizon. It's also why gaining home-ice advantage was so important at the end of the regular season.
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