Buffalo looking to extend series lead on the road
Boston Bruins (1-2) at Buffalo Sabres (2-1)
Puck Drop: 2:00 PM ET | TD Garden | Boston, Massachusetts
TV: TNT, HBO MAX, MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Boston Bruins
Record: 45-27-10 | 100 PTS
Division Ranking: 4th in the Atlantic Division
Last Game: Lost to the Sabres 3-1
PP: 16.7% | Sabres 0%
PK: 100% | Sabres 83.3%
What to Watch
1. Make Them Play Your Game
In many ways Game 3 was the exact opposite but yet similar to Game 2 in that the road team forced the home side to play a game they’re not used to. The recipe should be the same for today – the Sabres are the quicker and more talented team, and they should take advantage of that and make the Bruins chase shadows.
TD Garden will be rocking as the home side will be trying to wrest back the home advantage. They will likely try to sucker the Sabres into playing the body and getting away from what makes Buffalo good. There might even be some dirty plays to try to engage. The Sabres will do well to stick to their game.
2. Stand Up and Be Counted
Material contributions are good, but points are even better in the playoffs. Granted the Sabres don’t expect points out of every single player in the lineup, but here are the points per game leaders from the regular season for the Sabres – Thompson, Dahlin, Tuch, Norris, Zucker, McLeod, Benson, Doan, Quinn, Samuelsson.
Now here are the top ten after three postseason games – Ostlund, Tuch, Thompson, Krebs, Byram, Power, Quinn, Malenstyn, Samuelsson. Notable by omission from that list, in order, are Dahlin, Norris, Zucker, McLeod, Benson, & Doan. Not too many teams go far in the playoffs when six of their top ten scorers aren’t firing, make that five with Ostlund immediately stepping into the Norris breach.
Buffalo have been getting through Swayman’s defenses later in games, they will need to start peppering him with shots earlier in the game to wear him down sooner.
3. A Desperate Host
The Bruins have been the best team at home this season, and cannot afford to go 0-for-2 at the Garden, especially having lost one in Buffalo. They will be wanting more from their top line today, and are ringing the changes today with forward Lukas Reichel coming in for rookie James Hagens on the third line, and defenseman Jordan Harris possibly replacing the atrocious Mason Lohrei on the second defensive pairing.
Marco Sturm might say this is not a must-win game for his side yet, but deep inside he knows he doesn’t want to go to Buffalo in a 3-1 hole. Expect that urgency to get conveyed to his side by both the coach and the Boston fans.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards:
Krebs – Thompson – Tuch
Benson – Ostlund – Doan
Zucker – McLeod – Quinn
Greenway – Kozak – Malenstyn
Defense:
Samuelsson – Dahlin
Byram – Power
Stanley – Timmins
Goalies:
Lyon, Luukkonen
Boston Bruins
Forwards:
Geekie – Lindholm – Pastrnak
Mittelstadt – Zacha – Arvidsson
Reichel – Minten – Khusnutdinov
Jeannot – Kuraly – Kastelic
Defense:
Aspirot – McAvoy
H. Lindholm – Harris
Zadorov – Peeke
Goalies:
Swayman, Korpisalo