The Boston Bruins will play the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Bruins (45-27-10) clinched the first wild card in the East with a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday and will open the first-round series in Buffalo (50-23-8), which won the Atlantic Division.
The Sabres are in the postseason for the first time since the 2010-11 season, ending a drought that had been the longest in NHL history. They have not won a playoff series since the 2006-07 season, when they went to the Eastern Conference Final and lost in five games to the Ottawa Senators.
The Bruins are in the postseason for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons after missing last season. They have not made it past the second round since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, when they lost to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.
“It’s going to be great,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said. “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.”
The Bruins were led by forward David Pastrnak, who had 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists), and Morgan Geekie, who led them with 39 goals.
In goal, Jeremy Swayman carried the load, going 31-18-4 with a .908 save percentage, 2.71 goals-against average and two shutouts in 55 games (54 starts). Joonas Korpisalo, Swayman’s backup, was 14-9-6 with an .894 save percentage, 3.15 GAA and one shutout in 31 games (28 starts).
Leading the Sabres is forward Tage Thompson, who had 81 points in 81 games, including a team-leading 41 goals. It’s the third time in the past four seasons he’s scored at least 40 goals. Captain Rasmus Dahlin is second in scoring for Buffalo, the defenseman with 74 points in 77 games, including a team-leading 55 assists.
In goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon have shared the workload, with Luukkonen going 22-9-3 with a .910 save percentage, 2.52 GAA and one shutout in 35 games (34 starts), and Lyon going 20-10-4 with a .907 save percentage, 2.77 GAA and three shutouts in 36 games (34 starts).
“A very deserving opponent,” Swayman said. “They had a lot of success this year, and we’re really excited to get up there. … They have a lot of skill. They get a lot of chances off the rush and they have some powerful forwards and skilled defensemen. We need to isolate, and our coaching staff will do a great job of pre-scouting that, and then it’s our team to make the details and effort work.”
In four games this season, the Bruins went 3-1-0 against the Sabres, who were 1-1-2. Boston outscored Buffalo 12-11.
Pastrnak led the Bruins with six points (three goals, three assists) in the four games, while Pavel Zacha had four points (two goals, two assists).
Korpisalo played three of the games, going 2-1-0 with a .908 save percentage and 3.01 GAA. Swayman played the other game, allowing one goal on 22 shots.
“Heck of a team, obviously,” 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.”
Thompson had five points (all assists) in the four games against Boston, while defenseman Mattias Samuelsson had four points (one goal, three assists). Forward Jason Zucker led Buffalo with three goals.
Luukkonen was 1-0-1 with a .907 save percentage and 2.49 GAA in two games, while Lyon was 0-1-1 with an .885 save percentage and 3.02 GAA.
This is the ninth time the Bruins and Sabres will meet in the playoffs, with Boston winning all but two series, including two in seven games.
Three times, they faced each other in back-to-back seasons.
The Bruins won the Adams Division Semifinals in four games in 1981-82, then defeated Buffalo in the Adams Division Finals the next season in seven games in 1982-83.
They played again in 1987-88, Boston winning the division semifinals in six games over Buffalo, and then topping Buffalo in the same round the following season in 1988-89 in five games.
The Bruins again beat Buffalo in the division semifinals in 1991-92, winning in seven games, but Buffalo came back in 1992-93 to sweep the Bruins in the same round.
The Sabres defeated Boston a second time in the 1998-99 season, winning the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games en route to a six-game loss to the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final.
Their most recent playoff series came in 2009-10, the Bruins winning the conference quarterfinals in six games.