Lyon Shines As Sabres Take Series Lead

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon delivered just what his team needed on Thursday night in Game 3 of their Atlantic Division playoff series against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

The veteran netminder turned aside 24 of 25 Bruins shots in the contest, allowing the Sabres to grab a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven matchup. Lyon has been a road warrior for Buffalo this season. The 2025-26 regular season campaign saw him become just the fifth goaltender in National Hockey League history to reach the mark of ten consecutive road victories.

While the Sabres employed a two and at times three-goalie rotation through much of the season, injury, coupled with a dip in performance, saw Lyon assume a backup role to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the final weeks of the season. After winning game one of the set with Boston in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, Luukkonen took a significant step back in game two, and the Bruins had secured home Ice advantage heading back to Boston for games three and four.

Looking to turn the tide back in the Sabres favor, head coach Lindy Ruff turned to the 35-year-old Lyon for game three, and the move had the much-needed result. Lyon had come into game 2 in relief of Luukkonen in the third period after the Bruins had built a 4-0 advantage.

“I think getting in for a few minutes of the last game was really helpful, “said Lyon. “Before that, it was probably two weeks since I had played. Just to get the feel of the game, I think that kind of set me up nicely for today. “

Lyon was stellar throughout, including stopping Boston’s Victor Arvidsson in the second period. The key save turned the tide, and the Sabres played extremely well from that point on.

“I think that we came in with a great mindset,” continued Lyon. You could feel it in the room that we were just going to send it for sixty minutes, and kind of that’s all you can do. So I think we did a really good job of that, and we were engaged right from the start. I felt confident, and that’s just what you’re searching for. The team gave me confidence and we played desperately, so it was good.”

In addition to Lyon drawing into the lineup, center Noah Ostlund stepped in for the injured Josh Norris.

The 22-year-old rookie scored the clinching empty net marker for Buffalo in his first NHL playoff game.

The Sabres played their most complete game of the series on Thursday, and they will be looking to carry that momentum into game four on Sunday with a chance to extend their lead in the series.