{"id":604493,"date":"2026-04-24T22:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T22:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/604493\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T22:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T22:55:12","slug":"3-possible-lineup-tweaks-for-bruins-entering-game-4-vs-sabres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/604493\/","title":{"rendered":"3 possible lineup tweaks for Bruins entering Game 4 vs. Sabres"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Bruins\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t“We\u2019re not a fancy team, we\u2019re really not. And that\u2019s what we have to remind ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Boston
\n\tDavid Pastrnak had plenty of success this season skating with Fraser Minten. AP Photo\/Noah K. Murray\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Conor Ryan<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 24, 2026 | 1:59 PM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

5 minutes to read<\/p>\n

The Boston Bruins<\/a> are going to need to right the ship in short order if they want to return to Buffalo with their best-of-seven series knotted up at two games apiece.<\/p>\n

After seemingly shifting momentum in their favor with a Game 2 victory at KeyBank Center, the Bruins\u2019 offense flatlined on Thursday \u2014 with Buffalo regaining control of the series by way of a 3-1 victory.\u200b<\/p>\n

Marco Sturm harped on the need for Boston\u2019s top forwards to pull on the rope moving forward<\/a> \u2014 especially on a power play that went 0-for-4 on Thursday with eight shots on goal over eight minutes of 5-on-4 action.<\/p>\n

But as Boston tries to even this series up at 2-2 on Sunday, here\u2019s a look at some possible lineup reshuffles that Sturm could turn to for Game 4.<\/p>\n

Breaking up the top line<\/p>\n

If the Bruins are going to counter Buffalo in this series, they can\u2019t just rely on only the fourth line to both dole out punishment and generate offense.<\/p>\n

\u200bBoston is going to need more from its big guns, especially a top line anchored by David Pastrnak.<\/p>\n

\u200bEven though Pastrnak has five points (one goal, four assists) through three games against Buffalo, he\u2019s only generated two high-danger scoring chances across 40:13 of 5-on-5 ice time so far in this series.<\/p>\n

\u200bBeyond harping on a higher shot volume from their top forward, Sturm might want to reshuffle his top line \u2014 a trio that has struggled to gain sustained offensive-zone traction this season.<\/p>\n

Despite carving up the competition last spring in the final weeks of a miserable 2024-25 campaign, a line of Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, and Elias Lindholm hasn\u2019t moved the needle as much this season.<\/p>\n

During regular-season play, the Bruins were actually outscored, 19-16,<\/a> in that trio\u2019s 347 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time.<\/p>\n

So far against Buffalo, the Bruins have actually outscored the Sabres, 2-1, in the Lindholm line\u2019s 29:40 of 5-on-5 reps. But Buffalo has largely controlled play over that stretch, holding the advantage in both shot attempts (32-19) and scoring chances (19-8).<\/p>\n

If Sturm wants to get Pastrnak going, a lineup reshuffle might be in the works.<\/p>\n

Sticking Pastrnak back with a pair of youngsters in Fraser Miten and Marat Khusnutdinov could work \u2014 considering that Boston held a 15-6 edge in goals scored when that forward line was out on the ice for 188 minutes of 5-on-5 reps.<\/p>\n

Of course, that revamped line runs the risk of putting Geekie in no-man\u2019s land further down on the depth chart \u2014 when his blistering shot will be needed if Boston wants to punch against the Buffalo.<\/p>\n

One potential tweak for Sturm might be to simply swap out centers in the top line, replacing Lindholm with 21-year-old Fraser Minten to see if that gets both Pastrnak and Geekie rolling with a younger pivot that operates with more pace. \u200b<\/p>\n

A Geekie-Minten-Pastrnak line only recorded 48 minutes of 5-on-5 reps together in the regular season. But over that stretch, Boston outshot opponents, 23-13, and outscored them, 4-1.<\/p>\n

That reworked top line could give both Geekie and Pastrnak a spark midway through this series, while also potentially coaxing more offense out of a youngster in Minten.<\/p>\n

Add another puck-mover on the blue line<\/p>\n

Buffalo\u2019s speed and skill were expected to be a matchup issue for Boston throughout this series.<\/p>\n

That was reinforced in Game 3, where Buffalo largely dictated play by sticking to their strengths and giving Boston little room to operate \u2014 rather than get dragged into scraps by a pugnacious Bruins roster.<\/p>\n

\u200bBoston\u2019s second D pairing of Hampus Lindholm and Mason Lohrei, in particular, had a night to forget.<\/p>\n

On paper, a pair of mobile blueliners like Lindholm and Lohrei would be adept at moving the puck in short order to limit taxing D-zone reps and duck self-inflicted miscues.<\/p>\n

But the duo was often tentative with the puck and slow to react on Thursday, resulting in turnovers and failed clears that eventually manifested in Alex Tuch\u2019s go-ahead tally at 4:03 in the third period.\u200b<\/p>\n

Considering that Boston needs to prioritize crisp first passes and faster reads to avoid those extended D-zone shifts, it wouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise if Sturm turns to another D-man like Henri Jokiharju or Jordan Harris for a different look next to Lindholm.<\/p>\n

Add more sandpaper to the bottom-six unit<\/p>\n

As evidenced by the play of Boston\u2019s fourth line on Thursday, Sturm harped on the need for his skaters to play more direct entering Sunday\u2019s matinee matchup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely played simpler, I would say, in Games 1 and 2. Yesterday, it took us a while,\u201d Sturm said Friday.<\/a> \u201cIt took us a while to get going. It shouldn\u2019t change, because when you\u2019re at home, you should feed off the crowd and the energy. \u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have to simplify a lot of things; just keep it very simple. Because that\u2019s more us, anyway. We\u2019re not a fancy team, we\u2019re really not. And that\u2019s what we have to remind ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Boston is looking for a bit more straight-line play \u2014 and especially if a player like Minten is pushed up the lineup \u2014 it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise if the Bruins potentially slot in a forechecking asset like Mikey Eyssimont or Alex Steeves for a game to muck things up around Alex Lyon.<\/p>\n

That could potentially mean a night off for a player like James Hagens, who struggled to find his footing in Game 3. \u200b<\/p>\n

The potential is evident with the 19-year-old forward. But beyond the bad luck of having Bowen Byram\u2019s shot deflect off his stick and past Jeremy Swayman for a goal on Thursday, Hagens was a bit more tentative in Game 3, while also flubbing on a few O-zone looks. He logged 9:53 of ice time in the loss.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some risk of putting a blue-chip talent up on the ninth floor, especially on a Bruins team that could conceivably use some skill in search of an offensive spark. But if Boston is trying to manufacture some greasy goals, Eyssimont or Steeves might be called upon to simplify things further down the depth chart.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, he\u2019s been, it\u2019s been really good,\u201d Sturm said of Hagens. \u201cHe gives us everything he has. And you\u2019re right \u2014 he made more mistakes probably [in the] last game than he\u2019s done in the past. So we\u2019ll see. We\u2019re going to analyze this and then go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.<\/p>\n

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