Need to Know: Bruins vs. Sabres | Game 6

BOSTON –– It is another do-or-die meeting for the Boston Bruins on Friday night at TD Garden.

The B’s 2-1 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday at KeyBank Center forced a Game 6 in the first-round series, which Boston trails 3-2. The Bruins will battle to keep their season alive and tie things up come the 7:30 p.m. puck drop.

“Just having the same mentality we had last game. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the first to the last minute. Just the way they came in, they competed. They set the tone right away,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “We just had that mindset – we are going to win this game tonight. As long as they give me that feeling, I will be fine.”

Sturm said he will roll with the same lineup as in Game 5. Viktor Arvidsson remains out with an upper-body injury. The veteran forward was on the ice alone ahead of the Bruins’ optional morning skate on Friday at Warrior Ice Arena.

“Just little steps,” Sturm said. “Definitely out tonight, but hopefully down the stretch he will be back.”

Alex Steeves, Mikey Eyssimont and Henri Jokiharju – who all played in their first game of the series on Tuesday – will continue to try to bring the “fresh energy” that Sturm said he was looking for. Steeves and Eyssimont are on the third line with Fraser Minten.​

“We talked about it before the series started as a group, when we got together, it was that we’ve been on a couple of these runs before, and the one really long one, and it just takes everybody,” Charlie McAvoy said. “We’ve already seen a bunch of different guys slot in and out, and I was really happy with the three guys that played last game. They all provided something for our team in a winning effort.”

McAvoy leads the Bruins with 25:43 of average ice time per game this series while skating on the first pair with Jonathan Aspirot, as well as the power play and penalty kill. The defenseman has posted two assists thus far.

“I think our team’s resilience has been huge all year. We compete, we have each other’s back, we just all pull the rope in the same direction. This group really has a lot of love,” McAvoy said. “I think we have a lot to be excited about, a lot of confidence to have in our game and an opportunity to come back and play in front of our fans tonight. Try to win a game and keep this thing going.”

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender made 25 saves in the B’s win on Tuesday, and has a 2.87 goals against average and a .910 save percentage through five games this series. Swayman was announced as a finalist for the 2025-26 Vezina Trophy on Wednesday. It is awarded annually “to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position” as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs.

• David Pastrnak scored the game-winning overtime goal for the Bruins in Game 5. The forward leads Boston with six points (two goals, four assists) this postseason. Pastrnak remains on the first line with Pavel Zacha and Marat Khusnutdinov.

• Jokiharju made his NHL playoff debut on Tuesday. The defenseman – who spent six seasons with the Sabres (2019-25) – was on the second pair with Hampus Lindholm, and will stay there for Game 6. Jokiharju logged two shots, one on block and one hit, through 17:27 of ice time on Tuesday.

Opposing View

• Rasmus Dahlin scored Buffalo’s only goal on Tuesday; it came on the power play. It was the 26-year-old defenseman’s first goal and second point of the series. Dahlin is leading the Sabres with 24:15 of average ice time per night and skating on the first pair with Mattias Samuelsson.

• Alex Lyon is expected to start in net for Buffalo. The 33-year-old goaltender has a 1.18 GAA and .953 SV% through four games this series; he had a 2.77 GAA and .907 SV% through 36 regular-season games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who started the first round for the Sabres, will back up Lyon.

• Noah Ostlund will not play on Friday after leaving the first period of Game 5 with a lower-body injury. Josh Norris, who played in the first two games of the series, is projected to return from his undisclosed injury and center the third line between Josh Doan and Zach Benson, where Ostlund was previously slotted.