BOSTON (WHDH) - Head Coach Marco Sturm and the Bruins are bracing for a stiff test from the Buffalo Sabres who were last in the Eastern Conference standings last Thanksgiving.
The team rebounded to capture their first division title in 16 long seasons.
“I think this team is for real now, and they know how to win now so it’s gonna be, you know it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be hard, it’s gonna be a good test,” Sturm said. “All of a sudden, they figured it out and now, I think now they’re for real. They play better defensively, they’re structured better, and they have all the talent they collected in the past. All of a sudden, they came to shine.”
It’s the Sabres offense that’s sparked the turnaround in Buffalo. They’re fifth in the NHL, averaging just under 3.5 goals per game. That fact is not lost on B’s goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
“They get a lot of chances off the rush, and they have some powerful forwards and skilled [defense], so that’s something that, you know, we need to isolate and our coaching staff will do a great [deal] of, of pre-scouting that and it’s our turn to make the details and effort work,” Swayman said.
Swayman also ackowledged the B’s may hold an edge when it comes to postseason experience, taking on a franchise that’s making its first Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance since 2011.
“I think that we can have confidence in this room knowing that, you know, we’ve had experience at that level and, and we can really have, a really joyful aggression with that, you know, going into important games, knowing that we know how to perform and what we need to do to have success against a skilled team like that, so that’s something that we’ll keep in these four walls and when we get on the ice, show it there,” Swayman said.
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