The Buffalo Sabres skyrocketed up the NHL standings through sheer will and determination. They outworked opponents on a nightly basis with a relentless forecheck and aggressive attacking in transition, which resulted in an Atlantic Division title.
Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm understands the hurdles that lie ahead against a team that's won 39 of its last 52 games, but he's confident his players are ready to meet the challenge head on.
"It's going to be great," Sturm told reporters. "People like to watch the Bruins. People like to watch Buffalo. ... It's great for the league. It's great for us. It's great for Buffalo to have that matchup right away. It's been a while for them. We're hungry enough to beat them. We're ready, so it should be a good one."
It's clear the Bruins, who finished as the top wild-card team in the Eastern Conference, have a lot of respect for their first-round playoff foe.
"Heck of a team, obviously," star forward David Pastrnak said. "They've been proving it the whole year. They kept climbing and climbing the standings, and not just with the wins, but playing better and better as a hockey team. It's a big challenge and we're obviously excited. It's going to be a fun battle. I'm really excited. It's the best time of the year."
B's goalie Jeremy Swayman added: "A very deserving opponent. They had a lot of success this year, and we're really excited to get up there."
Boston won three of the four regular-season meetings between the teams, though two of those matchups came all the way back in October. The Bruins won the final clash, 4-3 in overtime, on March 25, which is likely the best indication of a hard-fought series on the horizon.
An early look at the numbers for the Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres series in the 2026 NHL Playoffs
It'll be interesting to watch the bench dynamics between Sturm, who's making his postseason coaching debt, and Buffalo's Lindy Ruff, the Jack Adams Award front-runner who's leading a team into the playoffs for the 12th time.
The Sabres head into Wednesday night's regular-season finale against the Dallas Stars with a 50-23-8 record (108 points) and a plus-48 goal differential. The Bruins wrapped up the campaign with a 45-27-10 mark (100 points) and a plus-22 goal differential.
Here's a look at some other key numbers via Natural Stat Trick:
Category |
Number (NHL Rank) |
|---|---|
Sabres goals scored / 60 |
3.43 (5th) |
Bruins goals scored / 60 |
3.22 (11th) |
Sabres goals against / 60 |
2.90 (11th) |
Bruins goals against / 60 |
2.97 (13th) |
Sabres expected goal share |
49.8% (18th) |
Bruins expected goal share |
46.4% (27th) |
Sabres power play |
19.8% (19th) |
Bruins power play |
23.4% (9th) |
Sabres penalty kill |
82.1% (4th) |
Bruins penalty kill |
76.9% (24th) |
Sabres save percentage |
.8993 (3rd) |
Bruins save percentage |
.8985 (4th) |
As is so often the case in the NHL playoffs, the goaltending battle is going to loom large, and both projected starters enter the postseason is great form.
Swayman has posted a .920 save percentage in 16 games dating back to the start of March, while the Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a .918 SV% in his last 14 outings since late February.
Beyond that, the other key matchup will likely be Boston's power play against Buffalo's penalty kill, which are both top-10 units. The Sabres' PP has been borderline useless lately, so they can't afford to have the Bruins racking up a ton of special-teams goals in the series.
Ultimately, the loaded nature of the Eastern Conference field means there isn't a massive disparity between the seeds. The second-seeded Sabres appear to have a minor advantage in the numbers, but it's not so significant to believe the seventh-seeded Bruins don't have a chance.
It'll likely be a closely contested series that likely goes at least six games, and the winner will have a realistic shot to keep its run alive in the second round against either the Tampa Bay Lightning or Montreal Canadiens.
Buffalo has put together a memorable season, but a lot of work lies ahead of it's going to create a storybook ending in the form of the city's first major championship.
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