{"id":554833,"date":"2026-04-17T22:30:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/554833\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T22:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:30:30","slug":"fear-physicality-appear-to-be-bruins-key-ingredients-vs-sabres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/554833\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear, physicality appear to be Bruins\u2019 key ingredients vs. Sabres"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\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“I know a lot of teams \u2014 they\u2019re afraid of us. I can tell. You can see it, you can hear it, and that\u2019s what we have to do in Buffalo.”<\/p>\n

\"Boston
\n\tThe Bruins have seven players on their roster who posted 100 or more hits this season. (AP Photo\/Charles Krupa)\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 17, 2026 | 6:22 PM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

3 minutes to read<\/p>\n

\u200bMarco Sturm isn\u2019t fretting over matchups or the feared \u201clast change\u201d that the Sabres will wield at KeyBank Center in four out of a possible seven games in this first-round playoff series.<\/p>\n

\u200bBoston\u2019s bench boss is well aware of Buffalo\u2019s rush-heavy approach, the speed of dynamic blueliners led by Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, and the hostile atmosphere that awaits his club when the puck drops in Buffalo on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n

\u200bFor Sturm, all it might take is a few bone-rattling checks against the glass for the Bruins to drain the life out of Buffalo\u2019s barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t really care,\u201d a candid Sturm said Friday at Warrior Ice Arena of bracing for last change against Buffalo. \u201cWe know how we have to play. We\u2019re going to be ready to go. We\u2019re excited.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are bigger, stronger. We are more physical. We just have to be smart. We\u2019re going to go after them and whoever comes in \u2014 first line, second \u2014 I don\u2019t really care. We try to play our game and not their game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the steadying presence of Jeremy Swayman between the pipes, the Bruins \u2014 on paper at least \u2014 may not hold many advantages against their Atlantic Division rivals in this opening-round series.<\/p>\n

Buffalo\u2019s forward corps \u2014 anchored down the middle by three skilled pivots in Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, and Ryan McLeod \u2014 can pick apart matchups and land punches at 5-on-5 play. \u200b<\/p>\n

The Sabres\u2019 D corps is shot-ready, with Buffalo ranking third in the NHL in goals by defensemen with 55 during the regular season.<\/p>\n

But for all that\u2019s seemingly working in Buffalo\u2019s favor ahead of its first trek to the playoffs since 2011, the Bruins believe they have the blueprint in place that can tilt postseason bouts in their favor \u2014 regardless of the opponent.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s rooted in a relentless forecheck and a punishing approach that the Bruins have adopted all season long \u2014 an identity that could wear down even the most skilled rosters over the course of a seven-game slugfest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that could be a game changer, that could be a series changer, that could be a lot of things,\u201d Sturm added of Boston\u2019s smash-mouth mindset. \u201cWe just have to be smart about it. I know a lot of teams \u2014 they\u2019re afraid of us. I can tell. \u00a0You can see it, you can hear it, and that\u2019s what we have to do in Buffalo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sturm\u2019s comments echo a swagger felt in a Bruins dressing room that has seemingly embraced Cam Neely\u2019s preseason decree of more \u201cpiss and vinegar\u201d<\/a> out on the frozen sheet.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe Bruins have doled out plenty of damage in the offensive zone behind the likes of David Pastrnak (100 points), Morgan Geekie (39 goals), and many others.\u200b<\/p>\n

But Boston has also relished the opportunity to tenderize puck carriers when given the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u200bBoston closed out the regular season with seven different players who logged at least 100 hits, with Tanner Jeannot (239 hits), Mark Kastelic (215), and Nikita Zadorov (196) all ranking in the top 25 of NHL players in recorded smacks out on the ice.<\/p>\n

Only the Lightning recorded more fights than the Bruins\u2019 33 during the regular season, with Kastelic and Jeannot responsible for 18 of those scraps. \u200b<\/p>\n

Kastelic and Jeannot\u2019s priority over the next two weeks isn\u2019t going to revolve around pummeling Buffalo\u2019s skaters via a steady diet of right hooks.<\/p>\n

But as evidenced by other teams like the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues, who forged unexpected playoff runs over the last few years \u2014 stapling skaters into the glass, forcing turnovers, and landing welts stands as a tried-and-true avenue toward postseason success.<\/p>\n

\u200bBeyond the heft that Boston boasts in its lineup, fleet-footed forecheckers like Marat Khusnutdinov and even 19-year-old James Hagens could also create some chaos when Buffalo D-men like Owen Power, Logan Stanley, and others are tasked with puck retrievals in high-danger ice.<\/p>\n

Will be fascinated to see how James Hagens fares in this series against Buffalo.<\/p>\n

A strong forecheck and forcing turnovers will be critical in stopping a Buffalo offense that doles out plenty of damage on the rush. pic.twitter.com\/C2LiNrR8Te<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u200bThe Sabres aren\u2019t exactly an undersized squad, with 12 players on Buffalo\u2019s roster measuring out at 6-foot-3 or taller.<\/p>\n

\u200bBut as Sturm echoed several times on Friday, a pugnacious Bruins squad isn\u2019t shifting its approach \u2014 no matter who lines up against them over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you don\u2019t enjoy it, you\u2019re in the wrong sport or wrong place,\u201d Zadorov said of going into Buffalo to start off this postseason. \u201cThat\u2019s playoff hockey. That\u2019s pressure, that\u2019s atmosphere, intensity, physicality, blood, sweat \u2014 you name it.\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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