The best video you'll see from Buffalo Sabres' Game 1 win vs. Boston Bruins

Some people didn't believe us when we declared Buffalo the best hockey market in the United States back in February.

Now do you believe?

The Western New York faithful came out in droves, with over 19,000 packing the KeyBank Center and thousands more attending the nearby Party at Canalside watch party, to experience the Sabres' stunning comeback victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the teams' opening-round playoff series on Sunday night.

Canalside provided the highlight of the night after defenseman Mattias Samuelsson gave Buffalo its first lead of the game with less than four minutes remaining:

What a sight. The passion. The energy. And this is just Game 1 of a potential two-month journey toward the Stanley Cup. The city waited over a decade for this moment and the electricity was palpable once the Sabres finally solved Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman.

While that video from Canalside stood out above the rest, the isolated crowd noise after Samuelsson lit the lamp was amazing in its own right:

Sabres superstar Tage Thompson sparked the come-from-behind victory with back-to-back goals less than four minutes apart to tie the game. Fans erupted with a new chant:

Boston head coach Marco Sturm admitted the Buffalo wagon was too tough to slow down once the crowd got back in the game after Thompson's first goal.

"Obviously, with the crowd behind them, they got some life and the game is done," Sturm told reporters. "Very unfortunate because my guys played really well. Really well. But that's playoffs. That's something we have to learn again the hard way. We just have to stick with it for 60 minutes."

Alex Tuch netted an empty-net goal, which became the game-winner in the 4-3 triumph as David Pastrnak scored on the power play with a few seconds remaining.

But it was too late. The comeback was complete and the Blue and Gold secured a 1-0 series lead in front of supporters who richly deserved a night like that.

Let's dive into the first installment of our Sabres player grades series for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after we tracked all 82 games during the regular season.

Tage Thompson leads Buffalo Sabres to thrilling Game 1 win over the Boston Bruins

Sabres player grades

Buffalo Player of the Game: Tage Thompson

In our preview discussion about the most important players in this series, we wrote there will be a time where Buffalo "needs a moment of greatness from one of its forwards to steal a game. Thompson, who notched his third 40-goal campaign in the past four years, is the most likely option."

That moment arrived immediately, and Tage answered the bell.

Both of his goals were the result of strong efforts around the net. On a night where it was starting to feel like the Sabres weren't going to solve Swayman, he almost single-handedly willed Buffalo's offense out of its slumber and into the win column.

Thompson finished the night with the two goals, an assist and seven shots on goal.

"I think those two goals are exactly what we wanted to do all night: put pucks behind them, pound their D, make it a tough night on them and just hit the repeat button on that," the dynamic forward said. "You go back for enough pucks, it's pretty exhausting. Create loose pucks and get chances from there, and fortunately they went in for us."

It took awhile for the strategy to pay off — the Sabres must do a better job getting bodies in front of Swayman in Game 2 and beyond — but in the end it was enough to win the opener.

Sabres quick hits

• Tuch racked up a game-high 10 hits and Samuelsson added nine more in addition to their offensive contributions. Both players were tremendous.

• Zach Benson didn't find the scoresheet, but he was noticeable all night. He's never outworked and those players tend to find a lot of success in the postseason.

• While the Sabres' fourth forward line and third defensive pair didn't have any highlight-reel moments, they both won their minutes, which is huge for Buffalo.

• Those looking for points of concern have two: goaltending and the power play.

• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looked shaky for most of the game. He wasn't steady in his movements and he was painfully slow tracking the puck at times. The Sabres will hope he settles in quickly after his first career playoff start.

• Buffalo has now failed on its last 26 power-play opportunities after going 0 for 4 on Sunday. That's not tenable if its aiming to make a deep run toward the Stanley Cup.

• The Sabres and Bruins will play Game 2 on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. ET) at the KeyBank Center.

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