Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/19/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Sunday, April 19, 2026

Venue:  KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Bruins +130, Sabres -155; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Bruins +130, Sabres -155; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Bruins +135, Sabres -160; Over/Under:  6 goals

Boston Bruins:  45-27-10 (4th place, Atlantic Division)

Buffalo Sabres:  50-23-9 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

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Boston Bruins:  5-3-2 last 10

Buffalo Sabres:  6-3-1 last 10

The Bruins are entering the playoffs with 100 points, a 45-27-10 record overall, and they were 16-16-9 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the New Jersey Devils in their last game, winning that one at home 4-0. Mark Kastelic led the team in goals scored with 2 while Morgan Geekie and Viktor Arvidsson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Sean Kuraly led the team in assists with 2 while Mark Kastelic led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jeremy Swayman was the starting goalie in that game and he recorded the shutout as he allowed 0 goals on 21 shots with 21 saves and a 1.000 save percentage. Their offense has scored 290 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 231 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The Sabres are entering the playoffs with 109 points, a 50-23-9 record overall, and they were 26-10-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Dallas Stars in their last game, losing that one at home 4-3 in a shootout. Zach Benson, Alex Tuch, and Josh Norris each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Owen Power led the team in assists with 2 while Jack Quinn led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Colten Ellis was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 28 shots with 25 saves and a .893 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 288 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 241 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Sabres listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Sabres have looked great in their games this season with their 50-23-9 record overall which had them right at the top of their division in the East with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have looked great on home ice too with their 26-10-5 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Bruins have looked good in their games this season with their 45-27-10 record overall which had them in the top half of their division in the East. They have been a terrible road team though with their 16-16-9 road record this year. This is the 1st game of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Sabres in the Atlantic and the 1st Wild Card Bruins from the Atlantic for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Bruins have been playing more playoff hockey lately since they were still fighting for a Wild Card spot and were fighting for seeding with the Senators who were right on their tail. They ended up locking in the 1st Wild Card in the East and ended the regular season with 2 wins in a row, but they are still 5-3-2 in their last 10 games and haven't been at their best lately. They have also been night and day this season with their home and away games, having one of the best home records in the NHL this season but also being terrible in their road games. The Sabres clinched a playoff spot a while ago so they didn't have the same pressure to end the regular season, but they were still fighting to win the division for the first time in years and they ended up getting it done. They are off a loss to the Stars in a shootout in their last one, but they didn't need the game and they have still been the hotter team entering this series with their 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games. The Sabres have looked a lot better over the last few weeks, entering this series as the hotter team too, and they are going to take advantage of the Bruins who have looked like a completely different team in their road games this season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Sabres to win this game. 

Bruins Sabres Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Sunday, April 19, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Sabres 5 Bruins 2.

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Boston Bruins: 25-29 (-13.3 units) on the moneyline after allowing 1 goal or less in their previous game. 62-65 (-14 units) on the moneyline after playing a home game. 74-81 (-7.9 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 17-9 OVER after 3 or more consecutive unders.

Buffalo Sabres: 70-52 (+13.7 units) on the moneyline in home games. 62-60 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 72-76 (+11.1 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 37-21 OVER as a home favorite of -200 or less.

Boston Bruins:  None.

Buffalo Sabres:  A. Lyon (G) Day To Day - Lower Body. S. Carrick (C) Out - Arm. N. Ostlund (C) Day To Day - Upper-Body. J. Kulich (C) Out For Season - Ear. J. Danforth (RW) Day To Day - Lower Body.

“Pretty amazing. I never even thought about getting 100 points. I know how hard it is to get that amount in this league and it just says the way we played, the way the guys performed every day. The ups and downs we had early on, but after Christmas we really took off. I’m so proud of them, proud of my coaching staff for what we’ve accomplished. Again, 100 points is incredible. I’m very happy, very excited to reach that goal and share it with our great fans in Boston.” - Marco Sturm after his team’s win against the Devils in their game on Tuesday. 

“I thought it was a good effort. Started the game well. I thought overall we did a lot of good things in that game. Made a few mistakes that cost us goals, handed them a couple of goals. But we had a great opportunity late to win it and then a couple of opportunities in overtime.” - Lindy Ruff after his team’s loss against the Stars in their game on Wednesday. 

LW Morgan Geekie

C Elias Lindholm

RW David Pastrnak

LD Jonathan Aspirot

RD Charlie McAvoy

G Jeremy Swayman

LW Peyton Krebs

C Tage Thompson

RW Alex Tuch

LD Rasmus Dahlin

RD Mattias Samuelsson

G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Points: David Pastrnak (100)

Goals: Morgan Geekie (39)

Assists: David Pastrnak (71)

GAA: Jeremy Swayman (2.71)

Points: Tage Thompson (81)

Goals: Tage Thompson (40)

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (55)

GAA: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.52)

Coaches:

Boston Bruins: Marco Sturm (1st season)

Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff (2nd season)