Bruins 'believe we're a playoff team' heading into huge test against Sabres

BOSTON -- When James Hagens was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, there was an assumption that as soon as the Boston College season finished this spring, he would jump to the NHL. There was an assumption his services would be needed -- immediately -- given where the Bruins were expected to be. 

That is not entirely without merit.

But it says something that Hagens, who signed an American Hockey League Amateur Tryout Agreement on Monday, reported to Providence and not Boston. It says something that instead of being in the lineup for a massive game between the Bruins and Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, NESN, TVAS2), what could be an Eastern Conference First Round matchup, he will instead be playing in an AHL game against Springfield. 

“This team, as we said at the deadline, has scratched and clawed to be in the position they’re in and ultimately it’d be (coach) Marco's (Sturm's) decision in terms of who goes in and who comes out of the lineup,” Boston general manager Don Sweeney said Tuesday. “James may or may not be part of that.”

It’s a statement that emphasizes what Sweeney has said since the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, since he opted to stand pat, neither bolstering a team positioned to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, nor subtracting from a squad that has overachieved expectations.

Would a team have been interested in 19-goal Viktor Arvidsson as a rental? Extremely likely. Others, perhaps, as well.

But these Bruins were due a chance to try. 

“I think that Marco and the staff have done a good job,” Sweeney said of the first-year Bruins coach. “The players have done a good job. They’ve earned the right to be here. They’re competitive every night. And it’s exciting, exciting to be part of this. 

“As the team would reference, maybe people doubted what they were capable of doing and they’d like to see it finish, themselves. I think they’re proud of themselves, but they know there’s work in front of them and they want to take it day by day. But they would love the opportunity -- they were happy and grateful for keeping this group together and not worrying about picking up an extra pick. 

"Like, all the guys in here have contributed to our success thus far and the staff wants to see that through. We believe we’re a playoff team.”

Right now, even in an extremely tight, extremely competitive Eastern Conference, that’s exactly what they are. 

And that stands, even after a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday that Sturm characterized as “one of probably the most frustrating nights I’ve been with this group.” The Bruins hold a one-point advantage over the Ottawa Senators for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference and sit two points back of the Montreal Canadiens for third in the Atlantic Division. 

They are also nine points behind the first-place Sabres and seven behind the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning.

Which is why every game matters right now, every point, and it was with disappointment that the Bruins headed to Buffalo on Tuesday night after an effort they said was simply not good enough, not at home, not against a team out of the playoff picture. 

“We were just flat,” defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “Didn’t have emotions against Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s on us, that’s for sure. We’ve got to be better than that. It’s important points for us at home and to drop it like this, it’s embarrassing.”

It is notable that, at this point, it would be a disappointment for Boston to miss the playoffs, in a season in which it seemed likely to do so at the start. That’s not the case anymore, after finding a structure and a rhythm, after getting goalie Jeremy Swayman back to form and seeing a career season from defenseman Charlie McAvoy. 

Swayman is 6-3-1 over his past 10 starts with a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 save percentage, and has held opponents to two goals or fewer in seven of those starts.

McAvoy has 54 points (10 goals, 44 assists) in 59 games this season, and needs three points to eclipse his NHL season-high 56 points (10 goals, 46 assists) in 2021-22. His strong season has been punctuated by his current stretch of 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in his past 31 games, with at least a point in 27 of them.

“We play, when we’re at our best, it’s just a really simple game,” McAvoy said. “We transition really fast and I think that allows us to have offense. So we have to do that. And then playing behind teams, it’s been our thing. We’re a heavier group. People we talk to around the League, we’re not easy to play against. That’s the thing. That’s our biggest thing. 

“But we have to do that. We have to put pucks behind them, and we’ve got to go wear out their D and be big and be strong and that’s our game.”

Even though Sturm, all season, has referred to the Bruins as “not an elite team in this league,” as recently as Tuesday morning, they are a good team. A solid team. 

A team that still has work to do to guarantee a spot in the postseason. Their next chance is on Wednesday, in what McAvoy called a “massive game.”

The page has been turned. They need the points. 

“We have no choice,” Sturm said. “It hurt today. Really hurt. But we’ve got to move on, too. I’m not going to just sit here and think about that one, no. 

“The good thing is we play tomorrow. So it’s a good chance for us to show a little bit of response there on the road [against a team] who has been probably one of the best hockey teams in the League, with Buffalo. It’s not going to be an easy one. But we’ve seen it in the past, sometimes it’s a good thing.”