Game 3 of the 2026 NHL playoffs pits the Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday, with puck‑drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Boston captured Game 2, 4‑2, and finished the regular‑season series 3‑1, including a 4‑3 win on March 25. The winner moves one step closer to the Eastern Conference final.

Betting lines list the Bruins as -118 favorites versus the Sabres at -102, with an over/under set at six goals. SportsLine’s projection engine ran 10,000 simulations, forecasting a total of 6.3 combined goals and leaning toward the over. The model notes that when goaltender Ukko‑Pekka Luukkonen starts for Buffalo and Jeremy Swayman for Boston, the over has struck in 56 % of contests in recent games.

Both clubs enter the game with key scorers in form: Buffalo relies on Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, each projected above .50 points per game, while Boston counts on David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy to exceed .40. A win for Boston would give them a 2‑1 series edge and push the Sabres toward elimination, keeping their playoff hopes alive.