Swayman Stares Down Elimination, Pastrnak Delivers: Bruins Force Game 6 With 2-1 OT Win

David Pastrnak's first goal of the 2026 playoffs — an overtime winner in Buffalo — kept the Boston Bruins alive Tuesday night, delivering a 2-1 Game 5 victory over the Sabres and forcing a Game 6 back at TD Garden on Friday. It was the kind of moment Boston needed not just for the scoreboard, but for the soul of a team that had been humiliated 6-1 at home just 48 hours earlier.

As ESPN reported, Jeremy Swayman was the backbone of the entire effort. His 24-save performance held the line while Boston's power play went 0-for-3 and the Sabres generated legitimate chances to end it. With just over two minutes left in regulation, Tyson Kozak had two consecutive opportunities to bury the Bruins — Swayman turned both away. It was a performance that validated everything coach Marco Sturm has said about his goalie all series. 'Big moments, big games, you want the big guys to show up,' Sturm said. 'He made a few really good saves and was awesome.' Swayman had been visibly furious with his teammates after Game 4's defensive collapse — he reportedly unloaded on the bench when he was pulled in the third — and on Tuesday, his teammates responded.

The Sabres entered Game 5 as heavy favorites to close it out, and their power play finally broke through when Rasmus Dahlin ended a staggering 0-for-38 stretch to give Buffalo an early lead. Elias Lindholm equalized in the second, and from there it became a goaltending battle. Pastrnak, who had acknowledged putting enormous pressure on himself through the first four games, broke through when it mattered most. He's 8-for-8 career in games where he scores — Boston doesn't lose those. The series now shifts to Boston tied 3-2, with the Bruins holding home-ice for the first time since Game 1.

For Game 6 props, the angles are clear. Swayman has now stopped 24, 30, and 24 shots in his three wins this series — a goalie who is locked in and getting better defensive support. His saves total line, typically set around 25.5 for a game of this magnitude, carries genuine over value, especially given how physical and tight this series has become. Pastrnak breaking through is also a market mover: his anytime goal scorer odds, which had drifted past +200 given his scoreless drought, should tighten sharply for Game 6 — but the early price before lines adjust may still offer value on him to score again at home in front of a crowd that will be rocking.

The Sabres' injury situation adds another layer. Noah Ostlund left Game 5 with a lower-body injury, and coach Lindy Ruff offered a bleak 'doesn't look good' assessment for his availability going forward. Ostlund had been a key secondary piece in Buffalo's lineup — his absence compresses their forward depth and limits Lindy Ruff's matchup flexibility. That puts more pressure on Buffalo's top line to carry the offense, which tightens the Sabres' team total outlook for Game 6. Boston at home, a locked-in Swayman, and a depleted Buffalo forward group — the under on team totals and a lean toward the Bruins moneyline at TD Garden is where the value lives heading into Friday.