The Boston Bruins will face the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the series opening in Buffalo. Boston clinched the first wild card in the East with a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, while Buffalo won the Atlantic Division and returns to the postseason for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
For the Sabres, the matchup carries the weight of a long wait. They have not won a playoff series since the 2006-07 season, when they reached the Eastern Conference Final and lost in five games to the Ottawa Senators. The Bruins have been a far more regular presence, reaching the postseason for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons after missing last year, but they have not gotten past the second round since the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
Marco Sturm did not hide his enthusiasm for the opening round. “It’s going to be great,” the Boston coach said, adding that the matchup is good for the league, good for both teams and that his club is ready. “We’re hungry enough to beat them,” he said.
The sabres playoff schedule arrives with recent form that suggests a tight series. Boston went 3-1-0 against Buffalo in four games this season and outscored the Sabres 12-11. David Pastrnak led the Bruins with six points against Buffalo, while Pavel Zacha had four. On the other side, Tage Thompson had five points against Boston, all assists.
The teams also bring star power that has carried them all season. Pastrnak finished with 100 points for Boston, and Morgan Geekie led the Bruins with 39 goals. Thompson led Buffalo with 41 goals and 81 points in 81 games, while Rasmus Dahlin had 74 points in 77 games. In goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen went 22-9-3, and Alex Lyon finished 20-10-4.
Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman called Buffalo “a very deserving opponent” and pointed to the Sabres’ speed and skill, especially off the rush. Pastrnak was equally direct. “Heck of a team, obviously,” he said, noting that Buffalo kept climbing the standings all season and calling it “the best time of the year.” The last playoff meeting between the clubs came in the 2010 quarter-finals, when Boston won in six games. This time, the first test comes in Buffalo, and both teams arrive with reasons to believe this could run deep.
