Inside Sturm’s Lineup Changes That Secured a Game 5 Win

BUFFALO –– Marco Sturm got to KeyBank Center three hours before puck drop on Tuesday and posted his lineup sheet in the locker room.

The Boston Bruins opted not to hold a morning skate ahead of Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres. Sturm was reworking the combinations he would put forth in the elimination game. Where was he when his players walked in to see their slottings?

“I was hiding,” Sturm said with a laugh.

The first-year head coach took a risk, and it paid off as the B’s earned a 2-1 win in overtime to force a Game 6 on Friday.

Sturm’s new-look featured Marat Khusnutdinov on the first line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. Fraser Minten, who was later exchanged with Elias Lindholm, started centring the second line between Casey Mittelstadt and Morgan Geekie. Alex Steeves, Mikey Eyssimont and Henri Jokiharju skated in their first game of the series, with Steeves and Jokiharju making their NHL playoff debuts. Viktor Arvidsson was back home in Boston with an upper-body injury.

“I didn’t tell them until right before the game. For sure, there were some question marks, but the way they reacted, the way they started the game, I thought they liked it. Something new – that was the whole point. We needed something fresh. We didn’t want to go the same way again and again. We needed something fresh, and I thought that was the right time,” Sturm said. “I just had a better feeling going that way, because of Arvi being out. The other big thing was Pav had a few good shifts with David the night before, so I wanted to give it a try.”

The details of Sturm’s lineup were not an obvious choice. James Hagens remained on the outside. The 19-year-old forward played in the first three games of the series after getting two regular-season matchups under his belt to start his pro career.

“He was in the mix, too. But at the end of the day, it’s a Game 7 for us. I didn’t want to put him in a bad spot, too. He still needs to learn a lot,” Sturm said. “He played great so far to this point. Hopefully, I can use him again down the stretch. But yesterday I thought I needed experience going into a game like that.”

E. Lindholm scored his second goal of the postseason for the 1-1 equalizer in the middle frame. Pastrnak orchestrated an immediate overtime classic off an outlet pass from Hampus Lindholm. Khusnutdinov led the team in hits for the second consecutive game, this time with five, and logged 21:30 of ice time – third-most of all forwards. Steeves and Eyssimont were tough on the forecheck, Jokiharju handled the moment with poise, and the B’s regulars – the likes of Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman – shined the way they knew they had to.

It was the kind of game Sturm hoped for from his team, and the one he designed to execute.

“I liked it a lot. I had never done it before, so that was a question – should we keep it a little bit like the same and switch one or two guys around, or really going to mix it up?” Sturm said. “I wanted fresh energy, I needed more energy. I felt like these guys could give us that, and they did. All those three guys played hard. They gave us what we needed.”

It was a tall task, going into Buffalo’s building, filled to the brim with fans who were quick to give it to the Bruins, especially the former Sabres like Nikita Zadorov. The veteran 6-foot-7 defenseman embraced the boos, finishing the night with two shots, two blocks and two hits through 23:11 of ice time.

​“If you would ask him today, he loved it, probably. He loved it. He was good, nice and calm. He’s just one of those guys – they almost need it,” Sturm said. “They want the crowd to do that. I played with some guys; they were feeding off stuff like that. They wanted that attention. I feel like he’s one of them. He just loves it.”

It helped, too, that Sturm’s young players – like the 23-year-old Khusnutdinov – rose to the occasion.

“He did great, first of all. He hunted pucks, he kept pucks – that’s exactly why I wanted him to be on that line,” Sturm said. “This kid played a lot of minutes. When you have a guy like him, he was so exhausted. Then I can tell he did his work. I thought he was great.”​

That tenacity is important for the Bruins up front, especially with Arvidsson sidelined. Sturm said it was “going to be hard” for Arvidsson to play in Game 6 on Friday, and they’ll “see where he’s at tomorrow.” As for Mark Kastelic, who left (and returned to) the game after blocking a hard shot on the penalty kill, Sturm said the fourth-liner seems "completely fine.”

​The Bruins’ backs will be up against the wall once again on Friday night at TD Garden as they host the Sabres for Game 6, trailing the first-round series 3-2. And they’re ready for it.

“Nothing really changes for us. Going in here, we had a mission. A one-game mission, and nothing will change,” Sturm said. “We will have a one-game mission again going home. We are really looking forward to it. We take today to rest. Tomorrow, we’re back to business. Can’t wait to play at home.”