Playoff Experience Favors Bruins in First Round vs. Sabres
James Guillory-Imagn Images The Boston Bruins enter their first-round series as underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres, but playoff experience may be the X-factor that decides the direction of the series. It’s the Bruins’ first playoff series since the 2024 semifinals; the Sabres are in for the first time since 2011. Surely the experience helps the Bruins, but the Sabres are not a roster without playoff experience.
Of Buffalo’s 30-man roster on NHL. com , 12 players have playoff experience for a combined 377 games, led by Alex Tuch with 66. Eighteen Sabres do not have playoff experience.
Two of the 12 Sabres with playoff experience are not dressing for Game 1, and Sam Carrick (10) is not playing in the series. The Bruins have 25 players on their roster, and they have combined for 651 playoff games. Charlie McAvoy (91), David Pastrnak (90), Viktor Arvidsson (87), and Hampus Lindholm (79) have all played in more playoff games than anyone in this series, and three of those players are part of Boston’s designated leadership group.
“Experience… I think that’s something [that’s] always important in playoffs, to have really good experience,” Marco Sturm said before Game 1. “Because you need those guys to calm things down. ” On the other side, the Bruins have nine players who have not played in the playoffs, and four of them are not in the lineup .
“For today, I just grabbed James [Hagens], and I reminded him that nothing changes. Maybe the noise a little bit here in Buffalo,” Sturm added. “Other than that, you just got to go, and you got to enjoy that moment.
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