Overview
- Game 1 drops Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center, the first NHL playoff game in Buffalo since April 24, 2011.
- Jeremy Swayman starts for Boston against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Buffalo, with Alex Lyon still recovering from a late-season injury.
- ESPN airs the game nationally with Mike Monaco and Ray Ferraro, while NESN carries it locally and streams run on the ESPN app, fubo, DIRECTV and NESN 360.
- Buffalo arrives as Atlantic Division champions with 109 points and a 36-9-5 surge under GM Jarmo Kekalainen, and Boston enters as the East’s top wild card with 100 points.
- Betting markets back Buffalo for both the opener and the series, with one book listing about -162 for Game 1 and -178 for the matchup.