Arvidsson Scores Twice in Bruins Game 2 Win in Buffalo

BUFFALO –– Marco Sturm sat at the podium on Tuesday morning and called on his second line to step up.

Less than 12 hours later, the trio of Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson combined for five points – including three goals and two assists – en route to the Boston Bruins’ 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 at KeyBank Center.

Arvidsson’s two-tally showing tied the first-round series as it now heads back to Boston.

“I called those guys out for a reason, and they just needed a poke. That’s all. And knowing Arvi very well, he’s a guy who takes it very seriously, who takes it to the heart, too. I [knew] he was going to have a good night,” Sturm said. “They played to our identity, let’s put it that way. That was Bruins hockey right from the start to finish.” 

After a scoreless first period, the Bruins broke out for three goals in the middle frame, starting with Arvidsson.

Mittelstadt, the former Sabre, battled for the puck along the walls, knocking it loose to Jonathan Aspirot, who sent an outlet pass up to Arvidsson. The 33-year-old forward got behind Buffalo’s defenseman and slipped a backhander five-hole to make it 1-0 at 4:54.

It was Arvidsson’s 16th career playoff goal, good for second-most on the Bruins behind David Pastrnak. Aspirot picked up his first-ever NHL playoff point with the assist.

“I think we skated harder and battled a little bit harder,” Arvidsson said. “I think we came out with that mindset and had a pretty good game.”

Boston widened the gap to 2-0 with what seemed like a dump-in play, and turned into Morgan Geekie’s second goal and fourth point of the series. The forward launched a back-handed shot from center ice into the Sabres’ zone, where it bounced past netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 16:29. Pastrnak and Sean Kuraly had the helpers.

Has Geekie ever scored a goal like that?

“No. I don’t think I ever will again. Honestly, just trying to dump it in and go, lucky bounce. Nice to see it go in,” he said. “I think we started playing in their end a little bit more after that and then just tried to have the mentality of pucks on net.”

Zacha closed out the second with a power-play goal for the 3-0 advantage. Charlie McAvoy pushed the puck over to Pastrnak, who wristed it from above the right circle. Zacha tipped in the shot at 18:10 for his first goal of the postseason. Pastrnak collected his second assist of the night and fifth point of the series.

Arvidsson struck again just 16 seconds into the third period to put Boston ahead 4-0. Aspirot got the puck behind the net in the defensive end and zipped it to Mittelstadt, who chipped it up to Arvidsson to snap past Luukkonen, who was subsequently pulled and replaced by Alex Lyon. Aspirot and Mittelstadt logged their second assists of the game on the play.

“He is a great player, and we just have to keep building on that,” Zacha said of Arvidsson. “It was important. I think, as I said in the morning, we talked about what we need to do, and I think being strong on the forecheck, creating more chances that we tried to today, and I’m happy it paid off.”

The Sabres made a push in the final seven minutes of regulation, with both Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scoring by the 15:08 mark to make it 4-2. With “Sway-man” chants raining down from the sold-out crowd, the B’s goaltender locked it down the rest of the way, just as he did all night. Jeremy Swayman finished with 34 saves.

“That’s part of the game. It’s my job to stay focused and enjoy it. A kid from Alaska never thought in a million years he’d get his name chanted by 20,000. So it’s a pretty incredible feeling,” Swayman said. “Understood that you have to earn it. You’re only as good as your last game – so that’s a big motivator moving forward.”

Things got chippy in Swayman’s crease throughout the contest, but his teammates were there to stand guard. Nikita Zadorov has 10 hits in the opening two games of the series and was at the center of the scrums.

“When I grew up, all my coaches were telling me to protect my goalie,” Zadorov said. “So when somebody slashes my goalie, that’s my job to step in. If they want to keep doing it, they want to keep getting it. That’s how it is.”

Swayman appreciates the effort from the guys in front of him.

​“That’s an identity. Every team knows that,” he said. “I feel extremely confident in my blue paint because of that. They allow me to play free and understand that you’re going to get contested.”

The Bruins now return to TD Garden to host the Sabres for Game 3 on Thursday with the series tied 1-1. It is a moment the group has been waiting for.

“It’s been too long. That’s why I am addicted to playoffs – playing in front of the Garden, man. It’s the best thing in the world,” Swayman said. “We’re going home happy, and we know we have a job to do.”