Boston Bruins
“Our lives are on the line. We just have to get out and try to die on the ice.”
Viktor Arvidsson scored two goals in the first four games of the first-round series. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
As the Bruins try to keep their season alive Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabers, Boston’s top six will be shorthanded at KeyBank Center.
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Speaking before Game 5 of Boston’s first-round series against the Sabres, Bruins coach Marco Sturm said That winger Viktor Arvidsson did not make the trip to Buffalo and is out with an upper-body injury.
Arvidsson suffered the injury during Sunday’s loss to Buffalo in Game 4, logging just 3:13 of ice time before missing the final two periods of play.
Losing Arvidsson is a major setback for a Bruins team that is already down 3-1 in this series against Buffalo. He scored two goals in Boston’s Game 2 win over the Sabers and scored 25 goals and 54 total points over 69 games during the regular season.
The fleet-footed winger was one of the main cogs on the Bruins’ second line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt regularly chopping down opponents during regular season play.
With Arvidsson out, it remains to be seen how Sturm will adjust his lines. Boston’s bench boss indicated that both Mickey Eissimont and Alex Steeves would be “ready to go if need be,” while James Huggins could also be in the mix after being scratched in Game 4.
Boston’s modified lines won’t introduce themselves until warmups begin before puck drop on Tuesday at 7:38 p.m.
“I think we have enough good players who want to improve their level of play since the last game,” Pavel Zacha said before the game of playing without Arvidsson. “We have a chance to succeed, and that’s what we need to focus on. All year long, there’s been ups and downs. If everyone steps up and plays their game, we’ll win.”
Sturm makes a switch on the blue line, where former Sabers defenseman Henri Jokiharjo will replace Jordan Harris. Nikita Zadorov – who did not practice Monday due to what Sturm deemed “maintenance” – could be cleared for a fifth game.
“I think that’s our mentality for one game now — getting back to the game of hockey, getting back to our identity in Boston, getting back to what was successful during the year. Just playing our brand,” he said. Zadorov noted Tuesday evening from Buffalo. “Everyone saw the result.
“It’s a slap in the face and it can’t happen to our team, our organization or our identity. Today we just have to go out and play like it’s the last game of our lives. Like our lives are on the line. We just have to go out there and try to die on the ice.”
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