Looking to keep their season alive in Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres in Western New York on Tuesday night, Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm put together a lineup that caught some people by surprise.
Forward Viktor Arvidsson missed the game after leaving Game 4 with an upper-body injury, and Sturm again did not insert prospect James Hagens into the lineup. Instead, the first-year bench boss went with Alex Steeves and Mikey Eyssimont.
It was a decision that rubbed some fans the wrong way, and honestly, slotting Hagens into the lineup and going down fighting with your top prospect after he burned a year of his entry-level deal would not have been surprising. Instead, the Black and Gold gutted out a 2-1 overtime win to force the series back to Boston with the Sabres holding a 3-2 lead. The last thing Buffalo wants to do is head back home for a Game 7 on Sunday.
If the Bruins are going to stave off elimination for the second time in three days, they'll do it with the same lineup as the previous game.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm reveals no lineup changes against Sabres
Friday morning at Warrior Ice Arena, Sturm told the media that there would be no lineup changes for Game 6 at the TD Garden. According to Bridgette Proulx of WEEI, Sturm said that Arvidsson skated on Thursday and Friday, but was going to be out for a second straight game.
It's not surprising that Arvidsson is going to be out again, but if Boston can somehow force a Game 7 on Sunday, would that be enough time for him to return to the lineup in a series-deciding game? Who knows, but if there is one thing that Sturm is doing, if it isn't broke, don't fix it in terms of running out the same lineup.
Buffalo didn't play their best game on Tuesday night, and the Bruins need to be on guard for the Sabres to come out and play their best game of the series. If Boston is going to extend the series one more game, they'll need to use Tuesday night's blueprint one more time.
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