BUFFALO\u2014Casey Mittelstadt has played against the Sabres a couple of times since he was traded from Buffalo two years ago at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n
But Mittelstadt was expecting an atmosphere like he had never had the pleasure of experiencing when he was a Sabre for six-plus seasons after he was drafted eighth overall when the Bruins were set to take on the Sabres in their first foray into the post-season in 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m expecting pretty much bedlam,\u201d said Mittelstadt after the B\u2019s morning skate prior Sunday\u2019s Game 1. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t expect anything else. I\u2019ve been to plenty of Bills games so I\u2019m guess it\u2019s going to be like that. It\u2019ll be a blast. I\u2019m excited I get to experience it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittelstadt got his only taste of the playoffs two years when he was traded to Colorado for current Sabre defenseman Bowen Byram and he played well for the Avs, posting 3-6-9 totals in 11 playoffs games. He was re-signed by the Av but was then dished at last year\u2019s trade deadline for Charlie Coyle.<\/p>\n
He was asked if it was \u201cfreaky\u201d that he would find himself on the team against whom the Sabres would make their long-awaited re-entry into playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little less freaky than it would have been a couple of years ago,\u201d said Mittelstadt. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s cool. I loved my time here and I\u2019ve probably cheered for them a bit. I\u2019ve got a lot of friends, especially the staff who have been here for so long. I\u2019m happy for them. But I\u2019m on the other side of it now, so I\u2019m definitely not cheering for them this series. It\u2019s going to be fun. Obviously friendships go on hold and this is the most important thing right now, so let\u2019s go have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittelstadt\u2019s first 18 games as a Bruin after the deadline last year left a lot to be desired. He had 4-2-6 totals and was minus-17 in 18 games.<\/p>\n
There were some bumpy days early this season, too, under new coach Marco Sturm. But after he got a wake-up call scratch in Utah in October and was then moved from center to wing, Mittelstadt and his linemates Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson became the B\u2019s most enduring and consistent line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really pleased and happy the way it worked out,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cI remember him from the Buffalo days actually. I don\u2019t know what happened after that. But there\u2019s a lot of question marks, I feel like, could be from media or anywhere else, about his game and his performance. But I can tell you this. He\u2019s been excellent with me. We maybe had a tough start but after that, he really took off. That line took off. So I\u2019m really pleased with his game and where he\u2019s at right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sturm allowing the line to grow together was helpful.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you come to a new place it can be hard. I\u2019ve learned the challenges of that. The one thing that was nice for me this year, we\u2019ve consistently played together since the first game of the year,\u201d said Mittelstadt. \u201cWe\u2019ve had time to build some chemistry and find that comfort. I was here for a long time and I didn\u2019t know anything different and it\u2019s hard to start over. It\u2019s a very welcoming group (in Boston) and it\u2019s been a lot of fun. I\u2019m very happy with where I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittelstadt finished with 15-27-42 and plus-12 in 71 games. And one of his goals came against his former team in one of the B\u2019s biggest wins here, beating old teammate Rasmus Dahlin to a loose puck and knocking home the tying goal in the B\u2019s 4-3 overtime win on March 25.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had pretty good banter during the game, to be honest. That one felt pretty good, honestly, on Ras,\u201d said Mittelstadt with a grin. \u201cA lot of years going back with him, we\u2019ve had a lot of ridiculous arguments, so that one was fun for sure.\u201d\u2026.<\/p>\n
Sturm caused quite a stir in Western New York with his comments last week about how the B\u2019s are bigger and stronger than the Sabres.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of teams are afraid of us,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n
Sturm said it was only a logical assessment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody had fun with it so I\u2019m glad that happened,\u201d said Sturm with his trademark wide smile. \u201cAt the end of the day, nobody\u2019s looking as closely as I do. I watched the last four games when we played them and it was very clear to see. When we were on top of our game and when we are hard on pucks, when we are physical, we have a chance. And if we decide to play their way, we might as well stay at home. Because they\u2019re that good. If you\u2019re a Boston Bruin, you have to play that way. And if not, it\u2019s going to be a long (game), because they skate well enough, they\u2019re skilled enough, they have 108 points for a reason.\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n
Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff knows the rivalry with the Bruins very well. He played in it during the 1980s and has coached in a couple of playoff series. The game isn\u2019t quite as it used to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then I had a hard time sleeping during the day when we knew that night was going to be one of those nights when you feared for your life sometimes,\u201d said Ruff. \u2018The game is different. Intimidation was a huge part of the game back then. Fighting was a big part of the game. Every team had four or five guys who could take care of almost anybody. Those series we had with the Bruins is a good example of it. But the game is in a lot better place. But we still saw a fight off the opening faceoff (Saturday in the Ottawa-Carolina series.) We\u2019ve had a couple of games this year where we\u2019ve had a number of fights inside the game. Playoffs is a time you can expect out of the normal. And there could be some of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruff locked horns a few times with Bruins team president Cam Neely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I still try to avoid him, actually,\u201d joked Ruff. \u201cCam\u2019s a hell of a guy and all that was part of the game. I think my first fight with him, he was still in Vancouver at the time, maybe his first or second. I think he was one of the toughest two-way players to play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
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