BUFFALO, NY – The Boston Bruins play playoff hockey today.
They’re ready in Buffalo; it has been since 2011. The Bruins, who finished in the top wild card, are taking on the Atlantic Division champions tonight. The last time there was a playoff hockey game in Buffalo? April 24, 2011.
The Bruins come into the game with slightly more playoff experience; only five players in the lineup will be making their playoff debut (Aspirot, Hagens, Kastelic, Khusnutdinov, Minten).
The playoffs kicked off with three games yesterday; two away teams picked up wins. The Hurricanes were the only home team to start off on the right foot with a shutout over the Senators. The Flyers and Wild traveled to Pittsburgh and Dallas, respectively, and skated away with wins.
Today, four games fill the schedule – including the Bruins at 7:30 PM. Seven of the eight Game 1s will be complete by tonight, with the Oilers and Ducks opening their series late tomorrow night.
Happy Sunday, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:
GAMEDAY: The playoffs begin today for the Boston Bruins. They are in Western New York to open up their first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins went 3-1-0 against the Sabres this season, but two of those were in October, and two of them went to overtime.
Toughness is tradition. Let's do this, together 💪 pic.twitter.com/qdctMMhuNH
Sportsnet 32 Thoughts: Andre Gasseau will head to free agency come August 15, 2026, per Elliotte Friedman.
“29. Andre Gasseau, Boston’s seventh-round pick in 2021, is going to free agency in August. Astute pick by the Bruins, but will test the market.”
Per Dom Tiano, Vashek Blanar will not be starting up at UMass in the fall of 2026; instead, it’s 2027. Hand up, I made a mistake. In the Prospects Notebooks, I mentioned him joining Greg Carvel’s team this fall, which is not the case.
With all the confusion around when Vashek Blanar will join UMass, I reached out to the agency that represents him and a family member and can confirm he will be joining them for the 2027-28 season. #NHLBruins
— Real Dominic Tiano (@TianoDom27109) April 18, 2026
Carolina Hockey Now: The Hurricanes opened the playoffs with a shutout win over the Ottawa Senators yesterday afternoon. Frederik Andersen posted a 22-save shutout, and the Hurricanes got goals from Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall.
HockeyFights (video via 𝕏): Captains Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal opened the series with some mayhem.
Sportsnet: Only one team showed up to yesterday’s second game. The Minnesota Wild pounded the Dallas Stars 6-1 yesterday, on the road, and built a four-goal lead in the second period. Jesper Wallstedt started for the Wild, and he made 27 saves in the win.
Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers are up 1-0 in the Battle of Pennsylvania, and thanks to a late goal from Porter Martone, the Flyers pulled away in the third period. The atmosphere was incredible, both Will James and Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski have plenty from their 𝕏 feeds.
NHL (video via YouTube): Porter Martone, playing in his first playoff game, won it for the Flyers yesterday. In the moment, he put them ahead two, but the Penguins rallied for one late.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: From the other end, Dan Kingerski has more from the Penguins locker room, including what must change for them ahead of Game 2.
Sportsnet (video via 𝕏): HNIC always provides a sweet montage for the playoffs. This year, it was to the tune of “Bitter Sweet Symphony.”