Bruins most to blame for 1st round loss to Sabres

The Boston Bruins went into the Stanley Cup playoffs feeling good about themselves. Not only had they confounded most of the NHL observers by earning a spot in the postseason, they had a 100-point season a year after finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference.

The team had responded extremely well to first-year head coach Marco Sturm, and the Bruins came into their series with the Buffalo Sabres as an experienced team. While the Sabres had not been to the playoffs since 2011, the Bruins had made the postseason in eight of the last nine seasons. That appeared to be an edge for seventh-seeded Bruins over the second-seeded Sabres.

The Bruins appeared to be prepared and ready as the series got underway in Buffalo. The core of David Pastrnak, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goalie Jeremy Swayman had things going their way in the opener. The Bruins had a 2-0 lead deep into the third period. Swayman was frustrating the Sabres at every level, the defense was doing a solid job at preventing the Buffalo offense from swarming and the Bruins had done just enough on offense to dictate the pace of the game.

But the clock struck midnight in that game. Or at least the clock struck eight minutes to go. High-scoring Tage Thompson got the Sabres on the board with a deft backhand shot and the floodgates opened. Buffalo scored three more goals and turned what looked like a sure defeat into a 4-2 win.

Bruins bounce back in Game 2, but it wasn’t enough

Boston did not capitulate and the Bruins responded with a 4-2 triumph in Buffalo to square the series. The Bruins had built a 4-0 lead and the Sabres surged again, but the Bruins had enough of a cushion to hold on for the victory.

Instead of that win providing momentum when the Bruins returned home to TD Garden for Games 3 and 4, the visitors dictated the pace with a pair of one-sided wins in Boston.

Pastrnak kept the Bruins alive with an overtime goal in Game 5 in Buffalo. That win should have provided the Bruins with the momentum to turn the series around, but when it came to speed, energy, opportunism and clutch play, the Sabres could not be stopped. They went into Boston and once again dominated the home team. It was a 4-1 Sabres victory in the decisive game and a 4-2 series win.

Bruins depth was supposed to be an advantage

The Bruins felt their depth would be a positive factor in the series. During the regular season, the Bruins had gotten production from all four lines at various points. However it was the second line that had often been the difference. Pavel Zacha had been a 30-goal man as the center on that line, and he had developed an excellent rapport with Victor Arvidsson and high-scoring Morgan Geekie.

Zacha had been exceptionally hot during the home stretch of the regular season and if he could continue to produce in the playoffs while Pastrnak scored clutch goals on the top line, the Bruins would have had every chance to upset the Sabres in the first round.

Zacha was unable to keep his offense afloat in the playoffs. He scored one goal in the series along with two assists. In addition to struggling on the offensive end, Zacha could do little to prevent the Sabres offense from establishing position and creating scoring opportunities. Zacha was minus-7 for the series and was a key part of the team’s failure to advance.

McAvoy and defense got overwhelmed by the Sabres forechecking 

The Bruins strength during their previous playoff years was their goaltending and their overall defense. Swayman had a strong bounce-back season after struggling in 2024-25, and he has shown in the past that he could be at his best when the pressure was on in elimination games.

One of the reasons for Swayman’s ability to standout in the net was that Boston’s defense often did an excellent job of clearing the front of the net and preventing the kind of high-danger chances that often results in opponents scoring. There was something of a downturn in that are in the regular season, but nothing like the problems the Bruins experienced in the playoffs.

The Bruins had a chance to tie the series in Game 6, but defensive lapses placed the Bruins in a 2-0 hole in the first period. Alex Tuch went to the front of the net at the 3:25 mark and he was unmarked. Rasmus Dahlin threw him a net-front pass and he batted it in easily. McAvoy had a great view but was not in a position to knock Tuch off the puck or deflect his shot.

McAvoy was held to 2 assists and he was minus-6 in the series. He had an outstanding regular season and may have been the fourth- or fifth-best defenseman in the league during theregular season, but he struggled against the Sabres.

Injuries were also a factor

While Zacha and McAvoy were not at their best, the Sabres were the better team during the playoff series.

The Bruins also had multiple injuries that kept them from registering an upset in the series. McAvoy broke his hand in Game 2, Zacha had a high ankle sprain while Arvidsson suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung.

Defenseman Hampus Lindholm had a foot fracture, Elias Lindholm had a back injury and defenseman Nikita Zadorov played with an MCL tear.

The Bruins can’t use injuries as an excuse, but observers know that the team was not at its best.

The Sabres took it to the Bruins throughout the series and they did not always respond. If the Bruins can put together another winning season next year and a earn a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, they must play with more force in the postseason.

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