Sabres' goalie change pays off as Alex Lyon beats Bruins

Buffalo’s switch to goalie Alex Lyon in net paid off as the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 for a 2-1 lead in their first round series.

Coach Lindy Ruff gave Lyon the start after he finished up a Game 2 loss. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had been pulled in that game after giving four goals on 19 shots, including a long flip shot from center ice.

Alex Lyon made 24 saves, giving up only the game’s opening goal to Boston’s Tanner Jeannot. Buffalo denied Viktor Arvidsson’s penalty shot at 9:50 of the second period before scoring the game-tying goal just 1:08 later.

Noah Ostlund, an injury replacement for Josh Norris, drove down the left wing and slipped a pass from beyond the goal line to Bowen Byram in the right circle, where he knocked home a low wrister over Jeremy Swayman’s glove.

1 / 33

NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season

April 18: A fan shows off a rally towel before Game 1 between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

April 7: Tusky, the Utah Mammoth mascot, rides on the Zammoth (Mammoth Zamboni) on the ice after an overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers at Delta Center.

April 5: A Toronto Maple Leafs fan attends the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.

April 4: Fans of the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche bang on the glass during the second period of the game between the Stars and Avalanche at the American Airlines Center.

March 5; Fans in the stands during the first period between the Calgary Flames and the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi! stands on seats during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on Jan. 22, 2026.

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) skates during warmup in front of fans’ signs welcoming him back to Toronto.

Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (91) poses for a photo with a fan as he comes off the ice after warmups.

A fan cheers during the third period in the 2026 Winter Classic ice hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park.

New York Rangers fans cheer after the 2026 Winter Classic against the Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park.

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty and members of the Dance Team perform before game against the Vancouver Canucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.

Carolina Hurricanes and former Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) tosses a puck to a fan in his return to Canada Life Centre.

A young fan watches the action during the third period of the game between the Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose.

Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.

Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.

Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy celebrates with goalie Joey Daccord (35) after a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.

Colorado Avalanche fans cheer in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.

A Colorado Avalanche fans holds up a sign for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena.

A young fan sees her reflection in the arena glass during a game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.

A San Jose Sharks fan dresses in costume for Halloween during a game against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center.

Tusky, the new Utah Mammoth mascot, is introduced to the fans before the game against the Calgary Flames at Delta Center.

A San Jose Sharks fan reacts after her team scores during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes.

A Boston Bruins fan cheers for the team during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.

Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty performs before a game against the Florida Panthers

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) greets fans on the blue carpet before opening night against the New York Islanders.

Fans reach for a puck flipped over the glass by Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) during warmup before a game against the St. Louis Blues.

Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound before a game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston signs autographs for the fans as he walks the green carpet before the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.

Tampa Bay Lightning mascot Thunderbug celebrates after beating the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skates past fans holding signs during warmups before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fleury suited up for the Penguins one last time during the preseason game.

Alex Tuch scored the winning goal, sliding down to the top of the left circle to snap a shot high on Swayman in the third period.

Ostlund scored an empty-netter.

Hurricanes take 3-0 series lead vs. Senators

Logan Stankoven scored for the third consecutive game and the Carolina Hurricanes put the Ottawa Senators on the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win in Game 3.

Carolina leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and Game 4 is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes. Taylor Hall had two assists, and Frederik Andersen made 21 saves.

Drake Batherson scored his second goal of the series for the Senators, who have yet to have the lead at any point through three games. Linus Ullmark made 25 saves in the loss.

Carolina went 0-for-4 on the power play; Ottawa was 0-for-5 and is 0-for-12 for the series.

Stankoven opened the scoring, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 5:13 of the first period. Hall got his own rebound after a shot on the rush, circled behind the net and then passed across to Stankoven, who scored on a wrist shot from the left circle.

Brady Tkachuk got in alone against Andersen early in the second period, but his backhand attempt was stopped.

The Senators had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:28 midway through the second period but did not convert.

Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson left the game at 10:07 of the second period with an apparent injury after taking a shot off his left hand. He had earlier taken a shot to the head from Hall.

Batherson tied it 1-1 at 16:06 when he received Nick Cousins’ pass in the slot, went to his backhand and lifted it in over Andersen’s pad.

Blake put the Hurricanes back on top 2-1 at 17:29. K’Andre Miller received a pass at the point, skated down to the top of the left circle and passed down across to Blake, who scored past the diving Ullmark from the far post.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sabres, goalie Alex Lyon beat Bruins; Hurricanes take 3-0 lead

Read the full article here