6 Burning Questions After Bruins-Sabres Game 3

BOSTON- What do we know about these Bruins and these Sabres, three games into their raucous round one series?

We know both teams have a flair for the dramatic. All three of these games have featured tit-for-tat closeness followed by an explosive goal or two (or three!) to break up the tension. The Sabres took Game 3, 3-1, and the 2-1 series lead at TD Garden on Thursday, and homeish-town hero Alex Tuch scored the explosive game-winner.

After a scoreless, gritty first period, Bruins fourth-liner Tanner Jeannot appeared to set the tone with a beautiful shift resulting in a snipe early in the second for the 1-0 lead. Bowen Byram answered right back, then Tuch went bar-down for the game-winner.

The Bruins had a power play and a decent push as the minutes bled out in the third, but Noah Östlund sealed the 3-1 win with a late empty-netter.

This has been a series of ridiculously close games that is giving us less answers and more questions as the tension keeps rising. Here are the burning questions we've got after Buffalo's 3-1 win in Boston.

Is Alex Lyon the Sabres' No. 1 Goalie From Now On?

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Alex Lyon's first start of the postseason was a resounding success as he stopped 24 shots -- including a penalty shot -- on the way to Buffalo's 3-1 win. He ended the night with a .960 save percentage, one goal against, and 2.541 goals saved above expected per 60.

It's not out of the question to wonder if he'll take over the Sabres' net, even if just for the series.

He and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen spent most of the regular season sharing the net with success. Luukkonen started the first two games of the series but got pulled in Game 2 after allowing four goals on 20 shots.

Thus, the decision to roll with another goaltender who performed well for the Sabres was born. Lyon wasn't the most consistent goaltender in the league in the regular season, with the 20-10-4 record to show for it, but you'll remember the Sabres as a whole stunk up much of the first half of the season.

The decision to start with Luukkonen in net made sense, as he closed the regular season with a 12-2-1 record. His Game 2 performance was certainly pull-worthy, though, and there was no better opportunity for Lyon to jump in than on the road.

At one point this season, Lyon won 10 road games in a row -- one win away from tying an NHL record. You get the sense he'll be in net on the road again come Sunday, and perhaps he'll earn himself an even longer stay as 1a.

Can the Bruins Get Some Support For Jeremy Swayman?

Swayman has been great through his first three starts of the postseason, with the .929 save percentage and no shortage of highlight reelers in close games to show for it. He's been the best player on the ice for the Bruins in arguably all three games and definitely in at least two of them.

Trouble is, the Bruins haven't been good enough on the other end of the ice to make it count for more than one win, and the goals came very late in that win.

As solid as Swayman's been, Boston's Game 3 loss drove home the fact that he won't be able to do this alone. It doesn't matter how the goals come -- though the power play would be nice -- but they need to start coming in hotter to match Swayman's heroics.

Can Someone Fix These Bad Power Plays in This Series?

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Tage Thompson

Look, a win is a win in the playoffs, and "a win is a win" is the exact mentality that has finally brought the Sabres back to life this season.

They didn't need their power play to win their first road game of the series, but they uh, are probably going to need to make use of the man advantage at some point during these playoffs.

They went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game 3, and at some point, you wondered to yourself when they would pay for the missed opportunities. Don't worry, the Bruins did nothing to make them pay, as they went 0-for-4 on their own power play. In fact, Lyon's stop of a penalty shot stands out as a turning point for his confidence in net and the Sabres' overall swagger in the win.

This has been a chaotic series that could look completely different if either team's power play wakes up. Will we get some special teams action in Game 4?

Can the Bruins Survive Without David Pastrnak Producing?

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It's been a slow start for NHL stars around the league these playoffs. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon have yet to score.

David Pastrnak isn't one of them. He's tied for the postseason league in points with one goal and five points for the Bruins.

But his three-point effort in Game 1 reminded us of a pretty fundamental truth when it comes to these Bruins: The contributions from the third and fourth line have gone a long way, but you aren't winning these games without Pastrnak.

He had a rough Game 3 with no points and a minus-3, partially due to the fact that he was out there so much in such a close game. This Bruins team traded away several key scorers, anticipating a rebuild, and Pastrnak's refusal to stop scoring this regular season helped them into the playoffs.

It's not necessarily "fair" that he bears the brunt of the scoring responsibility, but it is a harsh reality for these Bruins.

How Much Money is Alex Tuch Going to Make With a Big Postseason?

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The aura exuding from Alex Tuch this season, this postseason, and especially during Game 3's game-winner is undeniable.

The "hometown kid" (from Syracuse but grew up a Sabres fan) has brought the absolute clutch factor that the Sabres have been painfully devoid of all these years, and he's doing it for his city.

But he's also an unrestricted free agent and he might be able to cash in this summer. His game-winning goal is only going to add to the price tag, reportedly up $10 million.

With a very weak free-agent class and a monster postseason, the winger could ask for north of $10 million and get it.

Sabres' Aura Travels to Boston

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Sitting at TD Garden tonight, I wondered how this young Sabres team's first playoff road game would go.

First of all, I've never seen that many fans from an opposing team at a Bruins playoff game. Not even during a series with the Leafs, despite the sheer amount of opportunities Leafs fans had to travel to Boston and watch their team lose another Game 7.

We've seen how passionate Buffalo fans have been already in this series and a long playoff run is only going to build the excitement in Western New York

The spirit of Buffalo was alive at TD Garden tonight and it continues to get bigger with every passing game.