“It sure sounds like there isn’t progress being made between Buffalo and Alex Tuch, and I’m hearing that Tuch is likely going to free agency,” Darren Dreger reported on First Up.

On paper, Tuch becoming available to the highest bidder should be great news for the Rangers, who have plenty of cap space to work with and want to accelerate their retool by landing one of the biggest fish in the ocean. Obviously, Tuch is no Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, or Brady Tkachuk, but if he indeed enters NHL‘s free agency, he’ll become the top winger available.

Meanwhile, McDavid, Matthews, and Tkachuk all remain under contract, and moving on from their respective Canadian teams remains only a theoretical possibility rather than an imminent reality. Still, Tuch leaving Buffalo doesn’t guarantee he’ll sign in Manhattan, and it could come back to bite the Rangers, who have their own matters to attend.

Tuch could affect interest in Trocheck

Although Tuch is naturally a winger, he’s always shown great adaptability throughout his NHL career. That extends to his ability to play all over the ice and at different positions.

Vincent Trocheck has already seen the center trade market, in which he was once the belle of the ball, turned on its head by Dylan Larkin’s trade request out of the Detroit Red Wings. If Tuch becomes available, there will be a clear No. 1 prize on the free-agent market, which is one of the shallowest in recent league history.

Tuch may draw interest from many teams that would otherwise be all over Trocheck. Make no mistake, though, Trocheck will still generate buzz. Executives across the league will be calling Chris Drury and asking about the second-line center. That’s not what’s at stake—the price is. That’s what matters most to New York.

All the Rangers care about

If it weren’t about the return package and simply a matter of shipping Trocheck away, the Rangers would’ve pulled the trigger on a trade a long time ago. The Blueshirts want to maximize their return. Their asking price reportedly remains around what they intended to get back in March, prior to the trade deadline: a first-round pick, a roster player, and a prospect.

Perhaps it’s gone up. Or maybe the Rangers are forced to lower their demands. They once held the golden goose at the trade table, but not anymore. New York is no longer on the driver’s seat—and becoming car sick.

Double-edged sword for New York

If Tuch re-signs in Buffalo, then interest in Trocheck may not face additional competition. If he doesn’t, however, then New York has a chance to sign the player who could make the wait worthwhile. It could come at the expense of the return in the seemingly imminent Trocheck trade.

What carries more weight? That’s what New York needs to be asking itself. Based on what the Rangers conclude, that’s how the team will digest the news of Tuch leaving Buffalo, if the reports prove true.

According to a report, the Buffalo Sabres may be the perfect trade partner for the Blueshirts. Provided the Rangers are looking to make a big splash, the organization in Western New York boasts a surplus of candidates who would be instant upgrades to the lineup in the Big Apple. Namely, Bowen Byram, who could help New York in a position of need: left-handed defensemen.

“Buffalo is loaded with left-handed defensemen and could decide to trade from an area of strength to free up cap space. The Rangers have a huge need for LHD and could be a logical fit if Byram becomes available,” as stated by Vincent Mercogliano on The Athletic.

Potential trade for Byram

Byram is 24 years old and set to become a pending UFA next season, as his two-year, $12.5 million contract comes to an end after the 2026-27 campaign. Buffalo has 21 rostered players set to become UFAs or RFAs between this summer and next year’s offseason—and only approximately $12 million in projected cap space to operate with.

Thus, they will face crucial decisions time and again. Byram may become a cap-space sacrificial lamb, and the Rangers may be ready to pounce on him if they want to speed up their retool.

What exactly can the Rangers offer the Sabres? That’s a different question, but perhaps veteran center Vincent Trocheck, eager for playoff success and a new home in the East Coast, comes in handy. If Buffalo loses Alex Tuch to free agency, Trocheck could very well be the perfect replacement, at an even lower price.

NY Rangers could secure key piece in trade

In the City That Never Sleeps, Drury and the front office would much rather get some rest. Perhaps the best way to achieve that is by working extra hours during the summer and striking a deal with their cross-state competitors.

Buffalo and New York are in very different situations, with starkly opposite aspirations, but it is often teams in such situations that agree to the biggest moves in the NHL. As the two organizations enter the offseason, they will remain names to watch. However, if New York remains patient—for once—the deal may fall through.

Byram is not Rangers’ priority

Right now, adding Byram, who is coming off a 42-point campaign in the City of Good Neighbors, looks far from a priority for the Rangers. Still, they may not be able to help themselves.

The Blueshirts may be repeating the mistakes they made during their full rebuild back in 2020. In the long run, cutting corners proved to be a bad decision. Years later, they may come across another fork in the road, and it will be up to Drury and company not to stumble over the same stones again.

“I think me getting pulled at home was kind of a wake-up call. I took it personal,” Dobes admitted after Montreal’s 3-2 win in Buffalo, via NHL.com. “And we won today, so I’m really happy.“

Dobes was pulled in Game 6 after allowing six goals on 33 shots as the Sabres stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to blow out the Habs 8-3. In Game 7, the Czech goaltender was determined to right his wrongs. He stopped 37 shots and finished with a 1.68 GAA and .949 SV%. Most importantly, Dobes and the Canadiens punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final.

Who’s next for Montreal?

After knocking the Sabres out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Canadiens have eliminated the first- and second-place teams in the Atlantic Division. Up next, the Habs will take on the Metropolitan Division champions and the top team in the Eastern Conference standings, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The stakes couldn’t be any higher as two opposites collide. Carolina will enter the series with extra rest, while Montreal has barely had time to catch its breath. The Hurricanes swept both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the first and second rounds. In fact, their last game was on May 9. Considering the Eastern Conference Final against the Canadiens will start on May 21, they will have had 12 days off between series.

Canadiens vs Hurricanes

Getting rest is crucial in the postseason, but the Canes may prove that too much of anything can have adverse effects. As for the Habs, they needed seven games to defeat both of their opponents in the postseason. After all, opposites attract and the meeting point will be the Eastern Conference Final.

On one corner, a steamrolling machine that has needed only the bare minimum to dispatch opponents. On the other, an inconsistent yet talent-studded side that takes things to the limit before somehow hanging on for one-goal wins.

Hurricanes will face old ghosts

Since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2004, the Hurricanes have reached the Eastern Conference Final four times. However, they have won just one game across their last 17 appearances at this stage. Ever since they last won the Cup, the Canes are 1-16 and have been swept three times (2009, 2019, 2023) at the gates of the Stanley Cup Final.

Now reaching the Eastern Conference Final for the fifth time since 2009, Carolina is determined to slay its demons. So far, the Canes are undefeated in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but their track record in the conference final could get the better of them. If they lose Game 1 to the Habs, panic could kick in across Raleigh, and history might repeat itself.

“The Canadiens have recalled Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, David Reinbacher and Florian Xhekaj from the Laval Rocket,” Montreal announced on its social media, via @CanadiensMTL on X.

The four players combined for 37 appearances during the 2025–26 NHL regular season. Beck and Engstrom each played 15 games, while Xhekaj—Arber’s brother—appeared in five. Reinbacher, the former fifth overall pick in 2023, suited up only twice.

Needless to say, the Habs don’t expect them to play against the Sabres, nor in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Regardless, anything can happen and Montreal will much rather be safe than sorry.

Canadiens have a role for their black aces

“Black aces” is the term coined for players called up to the NHL from the AHL or junior leagues after their respective seasons come to an end. In the case of the Laval Rocket, they were eliminated by the Toronto Marlies in a best-of-five series in the North Division Semifinals.

With their campaigns coming to a heartbreaking end, the four youngsters will now join Montreal’s practices to get a taste of—and experience the atmosphere surrounding—the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, all signs suggest none of them will travel with the team, let alone crack the active lineup in such a high-stakes series against Buffalo.

Canadiens dream big

The Canadiens are searching for their 25th Stanley Cup in franchise history and their first since 1993—the last time a Canadian team won it all . As the final representative of the Great White North still standing, the pressure is on the Habs to deliver. More likely than not, they will not compromise their chances by dressing young players who may still be wet behind the ears.

Still, having them around the team could help their development while also giving the Canadiens additional depth should injuries begin to pile up and leave Montreal down to its last bullet in the chamber.

“Boston’s Nikita Zadorov has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin,” the NHL‘s Department of Player Safety announced on its social media, @NHLPlayerSafety.

The Bruins are truly up against the ropes. Down 3–1 in the series and set to go back to KeyBank Center in Buffalo, where the home fans will turn the barn into mayhem. Zadorov has been handed no suspension, though, and the Spoked B will hope to turn things around before it’s too late.

Something has got to change for Boston, and that was made clear after Marco Sturm ripped the Bruins apart following the 6–1 defeat against the Sabres.

Zadorov has been a penalty machine

Drafted by the Sabres with a first-round pick in 2013, Zadorov clearly had no love for his former NHL club in the first-round matchup of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So far in the postseason, Zadorov has recorded 37 penalty minutes (PIM).

That’s already a postseason career high for the Russian blueliner, who is coming off another career high in PIM during the 2025–26 regular season (152 penalty minutes). In Games 2 and 4, Zadorov missed 16 and 17 minutes, respectively, due to penalties.

Bruins could punish Zadorov

In addition to the news of the $5,000 fine from the NHL, Sturm and the Bruins may be handing down a punishment of their own to Zadorov. According to reporter Bridgette Proulx, Zadorov was absent from the team’s practice on Monday, as was Viktor Arvidsson. The latter had left Game 4 with an injury, but Zadorov showed no signs of being hurt.

Thus, considering he’s been a liability on the ice, it may all indicate Zadorov may serve as a healthy scratch as Boston faces elimination in Game 5. The Sabres are indeed scoreless on the power play so far, but it’s only a matter of time before they break the drought. If Zadorov continues to gift Buffalo man-advantage opportunities, it could well be sooner rather than later.

Nothing could’ve gone worse for Boston in Game 4 of the first-round series against Buffalo. It was as if the Bruins never made it out of the locker room in the first period, and the Sabres ran circles around them. Swayman was left out to dry by his teammates, and the 4–0 lead at the first intermission meant it was over just one period into the game. There was nothing Swayman could do as he was under siege all afternoon.

Sturm decided to end his goalie’s night after the Sabres scored their sixth of the day. As he left the ice and headed down the tunnel, Swayman had words for his bench, and they weren’t the nicest ones. Sturm didn’t beat around the bush after the game as his team is now on the brink of elimination in the 2025-26 NHL campaign.

“At least one guy [had some fire today],” Sturm stated during his postgame media availability, per reporter Bridgette Proulx. “It was not his fault today, I can tell you that. I felt bad for him. That’s why we kept him in there for a while, because he’s a battler, he wants to be in.”

Bruins take the fall for pathetic effort in Game 4

The Sabres barely had any opposition all game long. They blew the Bruins out of the water en route to their biggest postseason victory since the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As the Bruins were embarrassed to look themselves in the eye after the game, the leaders in the locker room bit the bullet.

“If we’re not (expletive) embarrassed with what just happened, then I don’t know what to say,” Charlie McAvoy admitted. “Wasted opportunity. Unacceptable. To show up like that in the first period is unacceptable,” David Pastrnak noted. “It starts with me. It starts with the leaders on the ice,” Sturm concluded.

Bruins’ playoff ghosts are back

If it hadn’t been for Sean Kuraly’s late goal to spoil Alex Lyon’s shutout and make it 6–1, the Bruins would have gone almost 100 minutes (97:34) without scoring a goal against the Sabres. Sturm’s comments about how Boston was stronger and bigger than Buffalo are aging poorly, and there have been no signs of such superiority as the first-round series has been played in Beantown.

Boston is 3–10 in its last 13 playoff games (since the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs). Far from a fortress, TD Garden has become a haunted house for the Spoked B. However, it hasn’t been that way for the Boston Celtics, who are 17–11 at home in the playoffs since 2023, and they call TD Garden home as well. Clearly, it has nothing to do with the venue itself, and everything lies in the hands of the Bruins organization.

Boston faces elimination

The margin for error is now razor thin for Sturm and the Bruins. Making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2025–26 NHL season was quite an accomplishment not many saw coming, and Sturm proved he can lead this team.

However, such a deflating series against the Sabres could actually set the Spoked B back. Boston has its back against the wall, and if the Bruins don’t show their claws now, it will be too late. Perhaps it already is.

“Yeah well, you heard [Sturm] said they’re bigger and more physical, so yeah, for sure. I’m a little worried,“ Ruff stated during his postgame press conference after Boston defeated Buffalo in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round.

Ruff’s comment was a clear dig at Sturm’s message prior to Game 1. Not only did the Bruins put the Sabres on notice with a comment on how Boston’s squad is bigger and stronger, but Sturm doubled down on his warning to Buffalo. His words didn’t fall on deaf ears, and Ruff has now fired back.

Ruff has always been vocal

Buffalo’s head coach has never been one to mince words or sugarcoat his honest thoughts. After Game 1, Ruff pushed back on the narrative surrounding the Sabres and their lack of playoff experience in the NHL. Following Game 2—although Buffalo fell by a score of 4–2—Ruff didn’t shy away from the spotlight.

This series is shaping up to be a candid one, and the head coaches are setting the tone for their players. If the bench bosses are going at it, why wouldn’t the players on the ice follow suit? It’s been a chippy series so far, but fans can expect the vitriol to rise even further in the upcoming bouts.

Recap of Sabres vs Bruins series so far

Through the opening two games of the series, both teams have shown their hands. Boston has dominated most of the action in both outings and jumped out to multi-goal leads. However, Buffalo has proven it can come to life in the third period and completely turn the tables. The Sabres know they must play a full 60-minute game. Still, a late surge in Game 1 was enough for them to win their first Stanley Cup Playoff game in 15 years.

For the Bruins, such rapid comebacks served as a learning moment. Thus, when the Sabres cut a 4–0 deficit in half late in the final frame of Game 2, goalie Jeremy Swayman signaled for Sturm to call a timeout. Boston knew better than to relive its ghosts from the past in the City of Good Neighbors. In the end, it came away with a crucial 4–2 win.

The series now heads to the Hub for Games 3 and 4, which will be decisive. In their upcoming visit to the Walking City of America, the Sabres must walk away with at least one road victory, or the series might be over before it returns to Niagara Falls for Game 5.

Series schedule

• Game 3: Sabres at Bruins (Apr. 23)
• Game 4: Sabres at Bruins (Apr. 26)
• Game 5: Bruins at Sabres (Apr. 28)
• Game 6: Sabres at Bruins (May 1) *If necessary
• Game 7: Bruins at Sabres (May 3) *If necessary

“I told them right after the game, ‘You want experience? You got it now,’” Ruff admitted, per TSN. “If you’re going to say this was my first playoff game, you’ve got a great story to tell.”

In more ways than one, the Sabres made a statement in the series opener. More importantly, they proved Boston wrong after head coach Marco Sturm doubled down on his warning to Buffalo.

Third period comeback saves the day for Sabres

The Bruins led for most of the game, but a third-period surge from the Sabres turned the tables in the blink of an eye. Buffalo scored three goals less than five minutes apart, and the capacity crowd erupted.

The Sabres are now up 1–0 in the first-round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sabres tend to do well in Game 1 of the postseason. Going back to the 1996-97 NHL campaign, Buffalo has won eight of its nine first-round series openers.

Tage Thompson’s heroics

Trailing 2–0 in the third period, it felt like the Sabres would relive the pain that has followed them for the past 15 years. However, when the night was darkest, a hero emerged in Western New York—none other than Tage Thompson, who scored twice to tie the game.

The Sabres’ best player put the cherry on top by assisting on Alex Tuch’s empty-net game-winning goal. In his first career playoff game, Thompson finished the night with three points. He looked like a playoff vet out there, and he insisted that playoff experience may be an overrated trait.

“We’ve been in games that have prepared us for this. I think eight years of adversity is enough experience to get you ready for stuff like this,” Thompson said, via NHL.com. “The last thing you want is regret.”

Buffalo’s rocking

The job is far from finished, though. The Bruins were very close to coming away with a crucial Game 1 triumph that would’ve put the pressure on the Sabres and completely changed the tune across town. As both sides gear up for Game 2 (Apr. 21), Boston knows a win in the City of Good Neighbors can flip the momentum as the series heads to Beantown.

Still, prevailing in Buffalo will be no walk in the park. Fans have waited far too long—they will make life hell for any visiting team. If there’s a lesson to be learned after Game 1, it’s that KeyBank Center might be the loudest barn in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It was 15 years in the making; Pandora’s box has now been opened, and the Bruins are the first to experience the wrath in Nickel City.

“Yeah. Somebody had fun with it, so I’m glad that happened. At the end of the day, nobody is looking [at the games] closely enough as I do. When we are on top of our game, and we are hard on pucks, strong on pucks, we’re physical, we have a chance,” Sturm said, via WEEI.

Sturm’s comment was answering a question on the impact his recent statement on the Bruins had in Buffalo. The Sabres—fresh off snapping the longest playoff drought in NHL history—can’t hide their excitement as the Stanley Cup Playoffs return to the City of Good Neighbors. Thus, it makes sense why Sturm’s comments made that much noise in Western New York.

What had Sturm said?

With the Bruins gearing up for the first-round, Boston’s head coach sent his team a confident message. Taking on the Atlantic Division winners, the Spoked B is mostly seen as an underdog in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, Sturm defied that title.

“We’re excited. We are bigger, stronger, we are more physical. We just have to be smart. But, we’re going to go after them,” Sturm had commented on the matchup against the Sabres.

Bruins won season series

Though Sturm’s words made noise, there is some evidence to back him up. After all, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. No other team in the NHL has had Buffalo’s number in the 2025–26 season quite like Boston has. The Bruins won the regular-season series 3–1. However, the only series fans will remember is the upcoming first-round showdown.

Playoff history between Bruins and Sabres

The Bruins are 6–2 all-time in playoff series against the Sabres. The last time both clubs met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was in 2010, when Boston advanced to the second round with a 4–2 series win. Sturm sure knows about that, as he was on Boston’s roster as a winger. Sturm played in all six games of the matchup against the Sabres.

The Bruins may not have steamrolled through the 2025–26 NHL season like the Sabres did, but they are a force to be reckoned with. The Spoked B has several players with a lengthy playoff history; Buffalo doesn’t. Most importantly, the Bruins are hungry.

“We’re hungry enough to beat them. We’re ready, so it should be a good one,” Sturm commented on the first-round matchup, via NHL.com. “People like to watch the Bruins. People like to watch Buffalo. It’s great for the league.”

Sabres eye deep postseason run

With first place in the Atlantic Division secured, the Sabres will take on the Dallas Stars in a virtually meaningless regular-season finale. Instead, the attention in the City of Good Neighbors has shifted to the Boston Bruins. The NHL has yet to announce the schedule for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but fans can hardly wait for the puck to drop. It was a long time coming for them.

Now that Buffalo has finally snapped its 14-season playoff drought (the longest in NHL history), they want more. A first-round exit is a goal no team has ever vied for, and the Sabres are no exception. The first goal was met, but they must go on a deep run.

Sabres vs Bruins: Head-to-head record

Being divisional opponents means the Sabres and Bruins have faced-off four times in the 2025-26 NHL campaign. As much success as Buffalo has had against its division and the rest of the league, Boston was its kryptonite.

The Sabres finished 1-3 against the Spoked B this season. Sturm’s team was the only side in the Atlantic that had a winning record against Lindy Ruff’s squad. Thus, the Sabres may have come away with a nightmare matchup in their first postseason appearance since 2011.

If there’s a silver lining for the Sabres, it’s the fact two of their three defeats to the Bruins were overtime losses. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the story could be very different when the two sides clash in a best-of-seven series.

Special teams could decide Sabres-Bruins series

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the rink seems to shrink. The action is tighter, and players must fight for every inch of the ice. However, they can’t afford to commit silly penalties, because that could well be the difference between winning and being eliminated. When the Sabres and Bruins collide, it’ll be no different. As it’s often the case in the postseason, special teams may play a big role.

Boston boasts the ninth-best power play in the league (operating at 23.4%). Meanwhile, the Sabres have the fourth-best penalty kill unit in the NHL (82.1 PK%). Buffalo can be dangerous even when outnumbered. The Sabres’ 10 shorthanded goals (SHG) rank third in the 2025–26 campaign. As for the Bruins, they are much more conservative when on the kill, having just two SHG to show for it.

In an evenly matched series, special teams could prove the difference. However, when it comes to the Sabres and Bruins, both have offsetting strengths. In the end, only one will prevail and move on to face the winner of the Tampa Bay Lightning–Montreal Canadiens series.

“I thought we played a pretty good game tonight against a real good team,” Sullivan stated after the game, via NHL.com. “We didn’t get the result, but when you look at how the game was played, we felt really good about our overall team game. We had a lot of scoring opportunities. We passed up [a lot of opportunities] But I really like our team game.”

Although Sullivan recently explained the reasoning behind the recent boom of Rangers’ prospects in the 2025-26 NHL season, that young flame wasn’t enough to propel New York past Buffalo—currently first in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers put up a great fight, but in the end, the better team prevailed.

Disaster averted for Rangers

The Rangers know they lost to one strong candidate for the Stanley Cup. Still, the fact they couldn’t get one last win in their home closer may sting. Regardless, the tide has changed in New York. What was once on track to be the worst season in franchise history can finish on—somewhat of—a strong note. It won’t be enough to call it a good year—whatsoever—but it’s far from the disaster it could have been.

Just barely, the Blueshirts avoided setting a new franchise record for the fewest home wins in an 82-game season. New York’s 14-20-7 record on home ice in the 2025–26 campaign was just enough to surpass its 13-21-3-4 (W-L-T-OT) record in the 2003–04 season. Still, that record came before stalemates were eliminated in the NHL. Perhaps the win total would’ve been higher for that Rangers squad.

Rangers’ final games of the season

As their 7-game homestand came to an end with the defeat against the Sabres, the Rangers must hit the road for their last three games of the season. New York is headed south. First, it will take on the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.

The Blueshirts will follow that up with a trip to The Sunshine State. On April 13, the Rangers will face the Florida Panthers, before waving the season goodbye in a tough matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.