Both teams combined for a jaw-dropping 94 penalty minutes, along with 62 hits and 60 shots on goal. The series now heads back to Boston for Game 3 (April 23rd) and Game 4 (April 26th).
Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman recorded his 10th playoff win after recording 32 saves, tying Byron Dafoe for the 10th most in Bruins playoff history.
Recap & Highlights
Boston would go on two straight power plays in the second half of the first period, but Buffalo's penalty kill went to work and kept it scoreless.
The Sabres had the fourth-best penalty kill in the league during the regular season and were 4-for-5 at this point in the series.
With 30.6 seconds left in the first, David Pastrnak would get called for a minor tripping penalty.
The Sabres haven't scored a single goal in 30 straight power plays.
Much like Game 1, Boston would be the first team to get on the board after Viktor Arvidsson won a puck race and finished with a backhander to put the Bruins up 1-0.
The Bruins' second goal of the game came in the most random and awkward way possible.
As Morgan Geekie cleared the puck from the red line while leaving the ice, the puck bounced over Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's glove to make it 2-0 in the second period.
Geekie now has seven goals in his last six games.
Buffalo's Tage Thompson granted the Bruins another power play chance, and they didn't waste it.
After scoring a career high 30 regular season goals this season, Pavel Zacha would score his second career playoff goal off a beautiful Pastrnak dish to put the Bruins up 3-0.
It would take the Bruins just 16 seconds into the third period to put the game out of reach.
Arvidsson scored his second of the game to make it 4-0 before the third period turned into an onslaught of penalties - totaling ()
Charlie McAvoy recorded an assist on the goal, becoming just the sixth defenseman in Bruins history with 50 career points in the playoffs.
Following four double-majors (misconduct) for Buffalo's Tage Thompson and Zach Benson, and Boston's Nikita Zadorov and Andrew Peeke, the Sabres would start to make the Bruins sweat.
Bowen Byram would score his first career playoff goal to cut the lead to 4-1, followed by Peyton Krebs's first goal to make it 4-2.
But it wouldn't be enough to pull off another comeback win as the series is now tied up 1-1 heading into Game 3.
