The Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres will begin their first-round playoff series on Sunday night at the KeyBank Center in Western New York. It has been a long time since the two rivals have met in the postseason.
As far as lineups go, Marco Sturm has mused on multiple ones throughout the season, especially with his third line. He hasn't found the answer on the wing, but recently signed prospect James Hagens adds an interesting option to the lineup. He played in the last two games of the regular season after the Black and Gold had their playoff berth locked up.
When it comes to the lineup, expect it to change due to injuries that could occur, the situation in the series, and the need for a certain game. With that said, while Sturm was not committed to his Game 1 lineup, let's predict it.
Bruins forward lines for Game 1 vs. Sabres
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Morgan Geekie | Elias Lindholm | David Pastrnak |
Casey Mittlestadt | Pavel Zacha | Viktor Arvidsson |
Marat Khusnutdinov | Fraser Minten | James Hagens |
Mark Kastelic | Sean Kuraly | Tanner Jeannot |
Really, the only question for Game 1 with the forwards is who is going to be in the lineup on the third line with Khusnutdinov and Minten? Listen to comments from Sturm the last couple of days, all signs are pointing toward the seventh overall pick in last June's Entry Draft slotting over Mikey Eyssimont, Alex Steeves, or Lukas Reichel.
Sturm even hinted that Hagens, if he is in teh lineup, could even see some power play time. Throughout the series, the Bruins' third line could be a difference-maker against Buffalo. You know what you're going to get from the fourth line and the second line, while the first line is going to need to produce. Hagens should be in the lineup.
Bruins Game 1 pairings on defense
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Jonathan Aspirot | Charlie McAvoy |
Hampus Lindholm | Mason Lohrei |
Nikita Zadorov | Andrew Peeke |
It's just a matter of what the pairing is going to be rather than who will be in and who will be out. Jordan Harris and former Sabres' defenseman Henri Jokiharju will be the extras for the series. If there is an area of concern for the Bruins this series, it's going to be on the backend.
Bruins Game 1 goalie
Goalies |
|---|
Jeremy Swayman |
Joonas Korpisalo |
Joonas Korpisalo has had a good season, but let's be honest, this is Jeremy Swayman's series unless an injury occurs. If there is one area where Boston has the advantage over Buffalo, it's between the pipes. If the Bruins are going to win this series, Swayman is going to have to steal a couple of games himself.
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