The Boston Bruins showed during a recent five-game losing streak that the team will only go as far as the offense can carry them, no matter how well Jeremy Swayman performs. Swayman was stellar in between the pipes in April, allowing two or fewer goals in four of five starts, but his record was just 1-3-1. If the Bruins' offense doesn't show up against the Buffalo Sabres, they could go home early.
It's a tough spot for the team to be in. When the front office built the team, it looked like a very tough, physical group that would have trouble scoring. Once the season started, the scoring was surprisingly solid, and expectations grew. Some of the issues we saw in April looked more like the doubts people had heading into the season, which leaves us wondering what will happen in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Bruins' offense exploded over the final two games of the regular season, scoring seven goals. The signs were there that they were due for a breakout after their 6-5 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes during their five-game losing streak, but the bottom-six helped the team considerably over the final two games.
No one is expecting the kid line of James Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov or the fourth line of Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, and Mark Kastelic to lead the team's offense. However, if they can chip in a couple of goals in the series, I think that the Bruins have a great chance to pull off the upset over the top seed in the Atlantic Division.
The second line will also need to continue their hot pace over the second half of the regular season, while the streaky David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie connection will need to find the spark that we've seen in the past. It isn't going to be easy to keep up with the Sabres' high-flying offense if they don't.
Bruins offense vs. Sabres offense
The Sabres ranked fifth in the league in scoring, totaling 283 goals. It isn't an easy division for the Bruins to be in, as the Tampa Bay Lightning ranked fourth and the Montreal Canadiens ranked sixth. It's why many wondered whether the Bruins' forward depth would be able to keep up with some of their divisional counterparts.
The Sabres boast three deep lines that could spell trouble for the Bruins. The addition of Josh Doan this offseason added a different element to the Sabres that helped them balance out the three lines with scoring and grit, which is a massive reason why they could go to war with all the league's top teams.
Buffalo boasts Tage Thompson, Ryan McLeod, and Josh Norris down the middle, while players like Doan, Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, Jason Zucker, and Zach Benson fill their roles on the wings. Add in a fourth line with some bite, and the Sabres do have the edge on the Bruins in their forward depth.
It'll be interesting to see how the Bruins contend with the depth. Pastrnak's line has a tendency to get hemmed in their own zone, and any extended time will have the team scrambling with the Sabres sending three capable scoring lines over the boards. Add in the uncertainty of the kid line, and it could lead to some uncomfortable matchups. With Buffalo getting home-ice advantage, Marco Sturm is going to have to put on a great coaching performance to get the better of Lindy Ruff's group.
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