In that time, the Bruins have won a Stanley Cup (2011) and played in two more Finals (2013, 2019). <\/p>\n
That experience seems to have Boston coach Marco Sturm, in his first season, oozing with confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how we have to play, we\u2019re going to be ready to go,\u201d Sturm said Friday. \u201cWe\u2019re excited. We are bigger, stronger, we are more physical. We just have to be smart, but we\u2019re going to go after them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffalo forward Josh Doan said on Saturday that those comments have been seen and heard by the Sabres.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt the end of the day, I think our group trusts what we\u2019re doing here and we\u2019ll just let that play out throughout the series,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to stick to our game plan. So, it\u2019s one of those things that you see, but at the end of the day there\u2019s no real response from us in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at the Globe\u2019s stories leading into this playoff series. Read on for a preview.<\/p>\n
When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo<\/p>\n
TV, radio: NESN, ESPN, WBZ-FM 98.5<\/p>\n
Line: Buffalo -165. O\/U: 6.0.<\/p>\n
BRUINS<\/p>\n
Season record: 45-27-10. vs. spread: 54-28. Over\/under: 43-38, 1 push<\/p>\n
Last 10 games: 5-3-2. vs. spread: 8-2. Over\/under: 4-6<\/p>\n
SABRES<\/p>\n
Season record: 50-23-9. vs. spread: 48-34. Over\/under: 38-41, 3 pushes<\/p>\n
Last 10 games: 6-3-1. vs. spread: 5-5. Over\/under: 5-5<\/p>\n
TEAM STATISTICS<\/p>\n
Goals scored: Boston 268, Buffalo 283<\/p>\n
Goals allowed: Boston 247, Buffalo 240<\/p>\n
Power play: Boston 23.4%, Buffalo 19.5%<\/p>\n
Penalty minutes: Boston 978, Buffalo 797<\/p>\n
Penalty kill: Boston 76.9%, Buffalo 81.9%<\/p>\n
Faceoffs won: Boston 53.1%, Buffalo 45.9%<\/p>\n
Stat of the day: Boston won three out of four meetings with Buffalo this season, most recently a 4-3 overtime win on March 25.<\/p>\n
Notes: David Pastrnak finished the regular season with exactly 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists) \u2014 the fourth straight year he has hit triple digits. … After Pastrnak, however, the Bruins have a significant drop-off in point totals with Morgan Geekie next at 68 points (39 goals, 29 assists). … Sturm said he doesn\u2019t expect Sabres coach Lindy Ruff to try to match up line for line. \u201cIn the past, Lindy wasn\u2019t really a big matchup guy,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cHe did his thing, so we\u2019ll see where it goes. Maybe he does it differently in the playoffs, but we don\u2019t really care.\u201d … The Sabres not only ended the NHL\u2019s longest active playoff drought at 14 years, they won the Atlantic Division by three points over the Tampa Bay Lightning. … Buffalo doesn\u2019t have a 100-point scorer, but Tage Thompson remains one of the top centers in the league. He followed up last year\u2019s 44-goal output with 40 goals and 41 assists this year. … The Sabres also boast one of the top offensive defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin, who finished second on the team with 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists). That ranked sixth among all NHL defensemen.<\/p>\n
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report<\/p>\n
Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com<\/a>. Follow her on Instagram at @katiemac.sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n