The Boston Bruins looked like a different team in Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres, with Marco Sturm finally putting the lines into a blender after a poor showing from the top six in the first four games. One change that stood out was the reunion of Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak, but the question was how Marat Khusnutdinov would do on the wing.
Khusnutdinov had one clear job when playing with two players like Pastrnak and Zacha. The two Czechs are smart offensive players, but much of their success comes from being cerebral around the perimeter. Khusnutdinov needed to be a dog for the Bruins in Game 5, and he did exactly what Sturm needed him to do.
Khusnutdinov was like a dog on a bone when it came to the puck. He was always the first player in on the forecheck, and then did his best to be the first one back. Zacha and Pastrnak played a much freer game knowing that Khustnutdinov was there to be their motor, which is a role that could help the rookie nail down a long career in Boston.
The comparison has been made before, but the 2011 version of Brad Marchand played the same role as Khusnutdinov. Ironically, Marchand ended up on the first line during that playoff run with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi, and while the circumstances aren't really similar, Khusnutdinov's playstyle and rise to being one of the team's most important forwards is too much of a coincidence to ignore.
There's a good chance Sturm sticks with the same lines for Game 6, but one thing is for sure: the Bruins' first line isn't changing, according to Sturm's comments to the media, via Belle Fraser on X.
""He hunted pucks, he kept pucks. That’s exactly why I wanted him to be on that line. This kid played a lot of minutes...He was so exhausted. Then I can tell he did his work. I thought he was great.""Marco Sturm
DAVID PASTRNAK SCORES A FILTHY GOAL AND THIS SERIES IS HEADING BACK TO BOSTON WOW 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/T73vNeHv0I
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 29, 2026
Khusnutdinov saved his best play for last, tracking back on the forecheck in overtime to break up a play in the neutral zone, which ended up on the stick of Hampus Lindholm for Pastrnak's breakaway pass. Pastrnak shouted out the play in speaking with the TNT panel after the game, crediting the rookie for the overtime winner.
The Bruins may still be playing with house money with the Khusnutdinov acquisition, but it's soon time to realize that he is for real.
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