When the Stanley Cup Playoffs started, the Boston Bruins were underdogs in their first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. The Atlantic Division winners in the regular season were expected to dispatch the Black and Gold.
That they did on Friday night with a 4-1 Game 6 win at the TD Garden to win the series, 4-2. It was a statement bounce-back win for the Sabres after dropping a series-clinching Game 5 at home on Tuesday night in overtime. Now that the series is in the books, here are two truths and a lie after Buffalo wins their first postseason series in nearly 20 years.
Truth: The Sabres were the better team
Nobody would debate this. Buffalo was the better team, except for one position that we'll address shortly. They had the better defense and the more goal-scorers and playmakers. They were the faster team, and Boston had trouble keeping up with them.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm tried saying before the series started that they were the more physical team. Swell. However, in the postseason, talent wins out, and the truth is, the Black and Gold didn't have enough of it. They were not a serious threat to make a deep run, unlike the Sabres, who can make a run.
Truth: Bruins had the better goalie
This isn't breaking any news. It was a big bounce-back season for Jeremy Swayman in Boston, and the goaltending advantage in the series was Boston's from the drop of the puck in Game 1. Even the most honest Buffalo fans would agree. The one's who wouldn't need to take the rose-colored glasses off.
Swayman was pulled in Game 4, but it wasn't about him; it was his under-talented roster and the way they played in front of him. Alex Lyon finished the series, but didn't start it after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was yanked in Game 2. The only reason there was a Game 6 in Boston Friday night was because of Swayman. Otherwise, this would have been over in four or five games at most.
Lie: Bruins can build off this and return to the playoffs in 2026-27
Nothing is a given from year-to-year. Last season, the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers finished tied for last place in the Eastern Conference, and both made the playoffs this season. Who saw that coming? Boston took advantage of some good teams in the East, which dealt with too many injuries.
Boston is built to win in the postseason over an 82-game schedule, not a best-of-seven series. You have to think that the Florida Panthers are going to be back next season in the playoffs, and who knows what happens with the Toronto Maple Leafs? The Atlantic Division is a monster, and finishing in the top 8 next season is not guaranteed for the Bruins.
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