Sabres are on the verge of a long-awaited series win, and the Ducks are too
The Buffalo Sabres have shed the burden of a 14-year absence from the Stanley Cup playoffs that set a dubious NHL record and surged toward their next big thing . Beat the Boston Bruins at home in Game 5 on Tuesday, and the Sabres will skate in the second round for the first time since 2007. “You can expect this to be the hardest game that we’re going to have to play short-term here, because they're in the nothing-to-lose-and-everything-to-gain category,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, whose first stint with the team was a 15-year run that included the most recent postseason appearance and series victory — plus four trips to the conference finals and one Stanley Cup finals berth.
The Bruins, behind first-year coach Marco Sturm, are reeling from a 6-1 drubbing they took on Sunday to fall behind 3-1. “They know that if they don’t put whatever they can put into the game,” Ruff said, “they’re done. ” Across the Canadian border, and more than 2,000 miles away, another team that has far exceeded external expectations is on the verge of a clinch.
The Anaheim Ducks must do so on the road against the Edmonton Oilers, but they're a fearless young group that's hungry to give the franchise its first series victory in nine years. “We just believe in ourselves,” center Ryan Poehling said, reflecting on the overtime win in Game 4 for a 3-1 lead after facing a two-goal deficit on Sunday . “We’ve done it all year, and I think it just teaches you throughout a season that you’re never out of it.
The belief on the bench is something that you truly feel when you go out there for offensive play. It’s a great way to play hockey for us. ” In Dallas, there will be a Game 5 on Tuesday night, too, but no clinching celebration after Minnesota evened the series on Saturday.
Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres When/Where to Watch: Game 5, Tuesday, 7:30 p. m. EDT (TNT).
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