A little number 86 flying around the ice playing with the puck on his stick? That must be Jack Hughes, right? Actually, it's Buffalo Sabers rookie, Noah Ostlund.
When the Sabers learned they were losing Josh Norris to injury in Game 3, it caused a bit of panic.
Buffalo is well ahead of Ostlund, whom they selected 16th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. However, a rookie making his playoff debut in place of a proven impact NHL forward is a big question.
Despite his initial nervousness, Ostlund didn't let the horror of the moment overwhelm him.
“Maybe a little nervousness the first two innings,” Ostlund said with a smile. "But it also goes away very quickly."
After a scoreless first period on Thursday night, the Boston Bruins took a 1-0 lead on the stick of Tanner Jeannott just over three minutes into the middle frame.
However, the Sabers did not bow. And finally answered.
About seven minutes after the opening goal, Ostlund advanced the puck through the neutral zone and over the Boston blueline to enter the clean zone. He slipped through the Bruins defense and down the goal line with the puck, and fed Bowen Byram at the top of the right circle for a one-time chance that beat goaltender Jeremy Swayman to tie the game at one.
Ostlund's elusive playmaking certainly took the volatile Swayman by surprise. Nevertheless, he surprised even Byram from close.
“To be honest, he surprised me a little bit there,” Byram said. "I wasn't sure he would make it to me. It was surreal to have him go through it."
While the Sabers rookie turned some heads with his vision and playmaking, Ostlund shrugged it off as just another game.
"I looked at him all the way, and then [Josh Doan] Did a good job running the net,” he said. “So that lane opened up.”
The Sabers rookie put the nail in the coffin on Thursday to solidify their 3-1 win and take a 2-1 series lead. After Alex Tuch scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, Lindy Ruff iced Ostlund late in the third period when the Bruins pulled Swayman for an extra attacker.
"For his first playoff game with us, he gets an A-plus," Ruff said.
Ostlund netted an empty-net goal as time expired to take Game 3 at TD Garden – his first goal in the playoffs.
Ostlund had a promising rookie season. He scored 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games. While he went scoreless in his first eight games since his 2024-25 debut, it's clear that the Sabres' rise to the plate has benefited Ostlund's development.
However, his best game to date was probably Thursday night.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Ostlund-led line with Zach Benson and Jack Quinn led the Sabers in expected goal share with an 89.98 xGF% all night.
In fact, during 5-on-5 play, they didn't allow a single scoring chance against Ostlund and company on the ice.
Before last night, Ostlund had not played in nearly a month after suffering an upper body injury – ironically on March 25 against the Sabres.
Still, his immediate impact upon returning to the lineup stunned his teammates, singing his praises in the locker room Thursday night.
"I mean, jumping right in, he hasn't played a game in a few weeks, it's his first playoff hockey game in his rookie year, and the guy gets (a goal) and (an assist). It's special," Tuch said. "I mean, the hockey IQ is off the charts. But honestly, competing, he went in every single inning, made a difference every single inning, and he was phenomenal."
