For 53 minutes on Sunday night at the KeyBank Center, the Boston Bruins did what they had to do to take a 2-0 lead in the third period. The final eight minutes were a collapse of epic proportions that led to a devastating 4-3 loss. It's a gut-wrenching loss that will be difficult to come back from.
After the game, the Bruins said all the right things, but you could tell it would be a loss that could be a series killer. On Monday, head coach Marco Sturm and some players met with the media. Boston's first-year head coach again saw some good despite the result, but also knows there's room to improve going into Game 2 on Tuesday night.
“There are always areas to improve. But again, overall, we were really detailed. I liked our structure. There were a lot of good things,” Sturm said. “Again, we lost the game, so that means we did something wrong. That’s something, we touched on it today, and try to improve tomorrow.”
The problem is, the things they did wrong are what they were doing over the second and third periods in their own end, not getting pucks out and giving the Sabres high-danger scoring chances. You give a team as talented as Buffalo that many chances, and they will eventually make you pay. Tage Thompson did twice and once he got the first one, it was an onslaught that Boston couldn't stop. It will be interesting to see how they respond in Game 2.
More Boston Bruins and NHL News
- If there was something that came from Game 1, it was that the Bruins were perfect in killing Buffalo power plays, going 4-for-4. “Obviously, you limit them to score is the No. 1 thing. But there’s things that I think we want to look at to get even better. They came in with some speed and, like a double drop, a couple times on the entries that poses a challenge. We’ll continue to look at that,” Boston center Sean Kuraly said. “Like anything, this power play is going to get better…We’re going to have to do the same.” While they were perfect killing penalties, staying out of the box going forward is a must for the Black and Gold.
- Victor Soderstrom has been a key contributor for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season. He was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last year for prospect Ryan Mast and a seventh-round pick in last June's draft. It appears that he'll be heading back overseas to continue his career next season. According to Expressen's Johan Svensson and Mattias Persson, Soderstrom is expected to join EHC Biel-Bienne of the National League in Switzerland for the 2026-27 campaign. This would not be surprising if he left with no real shot at cracking the Black and Gold's roster full-time anytime soon.
- Changes are coming this season in Toronto with the Maple Leafs. The first domino to fall was GM Brad Treliving getting let go a couple of weeks ago. According to Frank Seravalli, the Maple Leafs might be getting closer to naming a new GM. When that happens, the changes will likely begin, and it could be a busy offseason for a team looking to follow the Bruins' retool model. Seravalli mentioned that Boston assistant GM Evan Gold is a potential part of a group that is going to undergo another round of interviews. More Bruins and Maple Leafs drama.
- If the Bruins lose Game 2, can anyone see them coming back to win the series? It feels like going down two games could be devastating after the way they lost Game 1. Again, the response on Tuesday night will tell us a lot about them.
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