Sometimes subtle hints can't be ignored. That was the case with Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm on Friday during his off-day press conference.
As is the case usually when a team falls behind in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, questions will begin to arise whether or not there will be lineup changes. Sturm answered the question on Friday when it comes to prospect James Hagens after three games in the Bruins first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres.
Sure, he played well in the final two games of the regular season against the Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils, as well as Game 1 in Buffalo. Still, the signs began to pop up in Game 2 that things might be turning in the other direction, before they went south in Game 3.
Hagens logged under 10 minutes of total ice time against the Sabres in Thursday night's 3-1 loss that put them behind in the series, 2-1. Now, changes are coming for Game 4, and it looks like Boston's 2025 first-round draft pick, No. 7 overall, is heading for a seat on the ninth floor on Sunday at the TD Garden.
Bruins James Hagens heading toward a healthy scratch in Game 4 against the Sabres
On Saturday morning at Warrior Ice Arena, the Black and Gold were on the ice for a practice before Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, and Hagens was wearing a red shirt, while newly-acquired Lukas Reichel was taking his place on the third line. If we're being honest, it isn't surprising that Reichel is the one drawing in over Alex Steeves and Mikey Eyssimont.
Per our conversations on the Hockey Show... Elias still centering Pasta/Geekie, and on PP1. So looks like he's OK for now.
— Ryan Johnston (@Johnston985) April 25, 2026
It's Reichel, not Eyssimont, in for Hagens. Hagens still splitting reps w/ Reichel on PP2 however.
Harris, not Jokiharju, in for Lohrei alongside Hampus.
Adding Reichel doesn't necessarily add beef to the lineup, but it adds speed on the third line to try to match the Sabres' speed. Reichel was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline in March and has shown flashes in his short stints in Boston. They'll need more than a stint from him in Game 4 and a bigger impact to give the Black and Gold a chance to even the series heading back to Western New York on Tuesday night.
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