There is still some hockey left to be played in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Boston Bruins, but general manager Don Sweeney is locking up some younger players. One of those players was defenseman Billy Sweezey on Wednesday afternoon.
The 30-year-old signed a one-year, two-way contract extension for $850,000 to remain in the Black and Gold's organization. In 69 games for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), Sweezey scored one goal and had 17 points. Like most defensemen in Providence, there isn't much room in the roster for him going forward, as he has played in just nine NHL games, all with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
UPL takes blame for Game 2 blunder
Going into the series, it was widely thought that the goaltending advantage was in favor of the Bruins. Through two games, that appears to be the case, but Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is concerned that he could have had a better Game 2.
With Boston holding onto a 1-0 lead late in the second period, Morgan Geekie lofted a backhander from the red line into the Sbares zone to allow his team a full change. Instead of the puck going into the zone behind the net, it ended up in Buffalo's net when Luukkonen misplayed the puck into an embarrassing goal.
“There’s bad goals, and that happens, but I think four is way too many,” Luukkonen said. “I feel like we had a good fight back in the third, but it kind of kept sliding, I feel like, for me personally and for the team. But I think we learn from this and be better in the next game.”
On Wednesday, Ruff did not name a goalie for Game 3 at the TD Garden in Boston.
James Hagens impressing through two games
After playing well in the final two games of the regular season, James Hagens made the case to be in the Bruins' lineup early in the series. He was slotted with Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minen on the kid line, the third line. So far, Hagens has played well enough to catch Sturm's eye.
"He's not afraid, he's not afraid,'' said Sturm. "We looked at it today. He finished the checks and tried to get in there. He's trying hard. He's trying his best. He knows it's a tough league and you don't get too many opportunities. He also, I think, is smart enough to recognize how to do other things right."
How much trust does Sturm have in his kid line? They were on the ice late in games in key situations in the first two games. The seventh overall pick in the 2025 Entry Draft is certainly cementing his spot for the remainder of the series with Minten and Khusnutdinov.
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