Sabres score 4 third-period goals to beat Bruins in Game 1 - ESPN

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Mattias Samuelsson scored with 3:24 left and Buffalo overcame a two-goal deficit in the final eight minutes to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Sunday night in the Sabres' first playoff game in 15 years.

Tage Thompson scored goals 3:42 apart to tie it, and Alex Tuch sealed the victory by scoring into an empty net with 1:12 left in nearly blowing the roof off the arena.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 17 shots.

Buffalo hosts Game 2 of the first-round series Tuesday night.

The playoff win was Buffalo's first at home — and first overall — since a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia in Game 4 of a first-round series April 20, 2011. The Sabres proceeded to lose the series in seven games. The Sabres won their first Atlantic Division this season and snapped an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.

David Pastrnak scored with 7 seconds remaining and had two assists for Boston. Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm also scored for the Bruins, who finished the regular season 33-2-4 when leading after two periods.

Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.

After going 5,473 days between playoff games, the Sabres delivered a stunning victory.

Trailing 2-0 after Lindholm scored 1:08 into the third period, Buffalo finally caught a spark from Thompson, who led the team with 40 goals this season.

Thompson's first goal came on a wraparound backhander with 7:58 remaining. He then tied it by getting to a loose puck to the left of the Boston net and firing a low shot inside the far post with 4:16 remaining.

With the crowd still buzzing, Samuelsson scored 52 seconds later. Teammate Jack Quinn got to the puck deep in the Bruins zone and fed Samuelsson, who snapped a high shot in from the left circle.

This marked just the second time Buffalo overcame a