Boston Bruins
The Bruins went 3-1-0 in opposition to the Sabres through the common season.
After a one-year hiatus, the Boston Bruins are again within the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston locked in its first-round matchup on Tuesday with a win over the Devils – setting the stage for a showdown with the Buffalo Sabres. A schedule for that opening collection has but to be introduced by the NHL.
The Bruins and Sabres have had many playoff bouts prior to now, particularly throughout their days within the Adams Division.
Boston and Buffalo final met within the playoffs in 2010, with the sixth-seeded Bruins besting the third-seeded Sabres in six video games within the first spherical.
Boston went 3-1-0 in opposition to the Sabres through the common season, outscoring Buffalo by a slim 12-11 margin.
Because the Bruins brace for playoff hockey, listed below are 4 issues to find out about their first-round opponent:
They’ve been one of many hottest groups within the NHL for months
For a lot of the first few months of the 2025-26 season, it seemed as if Sabres followers had been bracing for one more depressing winter.
On Dec. 9, Buffalo was mired in final place within the Japanese Convention with an 11-14-4 document. Since then, the Sabres have been on a warpath — sporting a document of 39-9-4 down the stretch with one recreation left to play within the common season.
After spending years mired close to the underside of the Japanese Convention standings, the Sabres seemingly put all of it collectively behind a promising younger roster anchored by franchise stalwarts in Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Mattias Samuelsson, and others.
Buffalo boasts a balanced roster — with 14 completely different gamers recording at the least 25 factors on the season.
Thompson has lit the lamp 40 occasions as Buffalo’s go-to triggerman, whereas Dahlin has been as marketed as a do-it-all, franchise blueliner — posting 74 factors in 77 video games whereas averaging 24:11 of ice time per contest.
For his or her efforts, the Sabres snapped the longest playoff drought within the NHL earlier this month — punching their first ticket to the postseason since 2011.
Throughout these 14 years between playoff appearances, the Sabres went via 5 completely different common managers, seven head coaches, had the first-overall decide within the NHL Draft twice (Dahlin, Owen Energy), and likewise picked second one other two occasions (Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart).
After over a decade of distress, the Sabres have seemingly put all of it collectively this season.
They’re not skilled on the postseason stage
After all, that extended stretch of futility additionally implies that the Sabres are crusing into uncharted waters relating to being battle-tested for the postseason.
In complete, simply 12 gamers on Buffalo’s present roster have appeared in a playoff recreation, with just a few key cogs like Dahlin, Thompson, Samuelsson, Josh Norris, Josh Doan, and Jack Quinn amongst those that haven’t had a style of the postseason up to now.
Granted, the Bruins have a number of newcomers and youthful faces on their roster, like Fraser Minten and James Hagens, set to make their playoff debuts this spring.
However Boston’s prime stars, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, even have a mixed 181 video games of postseason appearances.
In web, Jeremy Swayman’s final foray into playoff hockey noticed him submit a .933 save proportion throughout 12 video games through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That lack of expertise might both assist or damage a younger Sabres roster of their first journey to the playoffs in over a decade. However Pastrnak careworn that postseason mettle presents no assure of success out on the ice.
“It’s as much as us to make use of it to our benefit,” Pastrnak mentioned after Tuesday’s win over the Devils. “Within the playoffs, you possibly can have as a lot expertise and as a lot [of an] benefit as you possibly can — however all that issues is the way you problem and the way you do it.”
Buffalo’s particular groups have been a blended bag
The Sabres’ prolonged surge has them sitting fairly in a number of convincing group statistics forward of the playoffs.
Buffalo presently ranks fifth within the NHL in objectives scored per recreation (3.46) and eleventh in objectives allowed per recreation (2.93). At 5-on-5 play, solely the Avalanche, Penguins, and Lightning have tallied extra objectives than the Sabres’ 192.
As feared as Thompson’s blistering one-timer could be, the Sabres additionally dole out loads of injury through their dynamic blue line. Solely the Blue Jackets have generated extra objectives from their defensemen (58) than the Sabres (55). For these retaining monitor, Boston solely has 36 objectives off the stick of a D-man this season.
However as dynamic as Buffalo’s offense has been this season, its energy play has largely been pedestrian — rating nineteenth within the NHL at 19.8 p.c.
Very like Boston’s ailing energy play, the Sabres’ man benefit has additionally faltered down the stretch — cashing in on simply 15.9 p.c of their alternatives over their final 15 video games.
A sputtering Sabres energy play could be a welcome sight for a Bruins group susceptible to taking journeys to the sin bin, with Boston second within the league in penalty minutes per recreation at 11.9.
But when the Bruins are hoping to get their very own energy play again on monitor, the Sabres could be a frightening matchup for Steve Spott and Co.
Buffalo ranks fourth within the NHL in penalty-kill proportion (82.1), whereas solely the Carolina Hurricanes and Flames have extra shorthand tallies than the Sabres (10).
Bruins ought to have the sting in web
The Sabres may need momentum, home-ice benefit, and a deeper roster on their facet going into this postseason.
That may all be moot if Jeremy Swayman places on an encore of his 2024 playoff run.
The Bruins’ netminder helped Boston topple a stout Maple Leafs group in a seven-game collection that spring earlier than giving the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers some suits within the second spherical.
Swayman’s 2024 playoff run may need ended after two rounds. However his 13.3 objectives saved above anticipated nonetheless led all goalies throughout that postseason (per MoneyPuck).
After a disastrous season in 2024-25, Swayman has as soon as once more regained his type, rating second amongst all certified NHL netminders with a whopping 28.8 goals saved above expected this year.
Buffalo doesn’t precisely have that very same stability between the pipes.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo’s doubtless Recreation 1 starter, has had an excellent season between the pipes (.910 save proportion over 35 video games).
However Luukkonen has by no means appeared in a playoff recreation, whereas his objectives saved above anticipated price of 10.5 is 13 spots under Swayman.
The 27-year-old goalie has solely allowed greater than three objectives as soon as in his final 10 appearances. The one outlier? March 25, when the Bruins scored 4 occasions off 31 pictures in opposition to him in a comeback win at KeyBank Middle.
If Luukkonen can’t minimize it, the subsequent man up could be Alex Lyon — however the veteran is currently dealing with a lower-body injury that he suffered throughout follow, which might put his availability in query at first of this collection.
Lyon’s harm complicates issues for Buffalo, which additionally has rookie Colten Ellis on its roster as a 3rd goalie.
Join the As we speak publication
Get every little thing it is advisable know to start out your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
