Marco Sturm's decision for the Boston Bruins to keep James Hagens in the press box for a must-win Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres and dress Michael Eyssimont and Alex Steeves wasn't one that most fans liked initially. Sturm has been adamant that the series is a man's game, and Eyssimont and Steeves do bring more of a physical element, but the belief was that after burning a year of Hagens' contract, they should let him go down with the ship.
It's worth noting that if Eyssimont and Steeves didn't dress in Game 5, the ship might've actually went down. The two didn't get many offensive chances and spent some time in the defensive zone, but their work in staying within the system to defend and a relentless forecheck definitely made an impact on the game.
The Bruins hung in there with the Sabres until David Pastrnak was able to score the overtime winner, and the impact of Eyssimont and Steeves wasn't lost on anyone. TNT analyst Darren Pang even complimented the pair after an overtime shift, saying that the two had a very professional shift that kept the Sabres at bay and allowed the Bruins to rest some of their big guys.
It isn't that Hagens couldn't have done that, but it's clear that at this point in his pro career, Sturm trusts that Eyssimont and Steeves can play that role better. After seeing how they played in Game 5, it's hard to argue, and it'd be malpractice by Sturm to change it up now if Viktor Arvidsson is still out for Game 6.
Advanced Analytics vs. Eye Test debate
The advanced analytics had Eyssimont and Steeves at a 23.1% corsi in their five-on-five shifts together in Game 5. Those numbers aren't pretty, but they don't really paint the full picture of what the two were able to do.
Some fans on social media are looking at the analytics and saying that Hagens would've had much better numbers, which might be true. However, in the games he has played since making his Bruins debut, he hasn't had the same impact in the eye test as Eyssimont and Steeves did in Game 5, which is why they need to stay in for Game 6.
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