Zacha, Arvidsson, Mittelstadt respond in Game 2, help Bruins salvage split 

BUFFALO -- Marco Sturm knew what he was doing.

The Boston Bruins coach did not beat around the bush after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Buffalo Sabres when he said he needed more from his second line, calling them “just OK” when pushed.

As he said on the day between Games 1 and 2, “I think the (Pavel) Zacha line, they can be better. They really can. They were just OK, but I know they have another gear like they’ve been all year. So, I think that’s one line that needs to get better.”

In Game 2, they did.

“I called those guys out for a reason,” Sturm said after Boston’s 4-2 victory at KeyBank Center on Tuesday. “They just needed a poke, that’s all. Knowing (Viktor Arvidsson) very well, he’s a guy who takes it very seriously and takes it to heart too. I knew he was going to have a big night.”

The line of Zacha, Arvidsson and Casey Mittelstadt -- especially Arvidsson -- did indeed have a big night, responsible for two of the four goals scored in the win that drew Boston even at 1-1 in the best-of-7 series that shifts to TD Garden on Thursday (7 p.m., ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, NESN, MSG-B, TVAS2, SN360). That doesn’t include Zacha’s power-play goal at 18:10 of the second period that ended up as the game-winner after Buffalo scored twice in the third.

All told, the three combined for five points -- two goals by Arvidsson, one by Zacha and two assists for Mittelstadt, who was the No. 8 pick by the Sabres at the 2017 NHL Draft and played the first seven seasons of his career here.

It’s a run the Bruins intend to continue in Game 3. They went 29-11-1 at TD Garden during the regular season, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for the most wins in the NHL at home.

That second line has been Boston’s most consistent all season, providing steady production while the first and third have sometimes been in flux. But it isn’t only that; they are also defensively responsible, excluding Game 1 when each finished minus-3.

“One of those things, when you’re minus-3 in a game, the next game you have to show that you’re back at it and create chances; even if you don’t score or are not in the score sheet, you have to be the difference-maker there, hit some guys, be more on puck,” Zacha said.

They did both In Game 2.

In the regular season, Zacha was second on the Bruins in goals with 30, a career high, along with 35 assists for 65 points. Arvidsson was fifth with 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 69 games. Mittelstadt, whose move from center to wing unlocked the line’s production, had 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 71 games.

“We talked about what we need to do, and I think being strong on the forecheck, creating more chances as we tried to do (in Game 2), and I’m happy it paid off,” Zacha said. “We were a little bit more aggressive and didn’t defend as much all game, so I think that’s the recipe for success for our line. We have to keep that going.”

For the Bruins, so much stems from having the second line on its game. It takes pressure off the top line of Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, which carried the offense in Game 1, a 4-3 loss. It takes even more pressure off the “Kid Line” of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens, which is still finding its footing as a line and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Arvidsson led off the scoring in Game 2, after Mittelstadt won a battle on the boards and passed the puck back to defenseman Jonathan Aspirot. He sent the pass ahead that sprung Arvidsson, who beat two Sabres defensemen and put a backhand shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 4:54 of the second.

He scored again just 16 seconds into the third, slowing down for a snipe from the left circle on a 2-on-1 with Zacha.

“I think we skated harder and battled a little bit harder, had our heads over the puck and won battles and used each other in close areas,” Arvidsson said. “That’s how we need to play to be successful. I think we came out with that mindset and had a pretty good game.”

They will need to again be at their best on Thursday when the Bruins look to pull ahead in the series, hoping to continue the momentum they have gained from salvaging a split on the road.

Overall, they are more than happy with the bulk of their play through the start of this series. So, as they headed back home on Wednesday, there was no need for any more call-outs, no need to poke anyone.

It was just praise.

“If you look at all the six periods, if I put them all together, I really like five of them for sure,” Sturm said. “And coming here to Buffalo and like five periods? That’s pretty dang good.”