3 Bruins Who Need to Be Difference-Makers to Come Back Against the Sabres – The Hockey Writers –

The Boston Bruins are in the playoffs once again this year after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 45-27-10 record. They are currently facing the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the postseason with the series at 2-1 in Buffalo’s favor after Game 3.  

While the Bruins are the underdogs coming into this battle, they have played and matched up well so far against a young and exciting Sabres team who are hungry for success after ending a 14-season playoff drought. But if they are going to emerge victorious and move onto the second round, there are three players that could be difference makers to help push Boston over the edge in the remaining first round matchups.

Viktor Arvidsson

Viktor Arvidsson’s fantastic Spring has flown a bit under the radar in light of the incredible stretch linemate Pavel Zacha has had since the Winter Olympics. But make no mistake, Arvidsson has been one of the best players for the Bruins since February. He had 25 goals and 54 points in 69 games this season. 25 of those points came in the 24 games post-Olympics. 

The top guys like David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie are always going to get a fair amount of attention and expectations, but it’s guys like Arvidsson who can step up and be a real difference maker to give the Bruins an edge over the competition. This is a guy who knows how to score, an area that has been an issue for Boston in their last few playoff appearances. In order for this team to be competitive again in the postseason, they need to be able to finish, and luckily this is a guy who has made it his calling card to be able to score wherever and whenever. 

This postseason is also a redemption opportunity for Arvidsson after his struggles last season with the Edmonton Oilers. He was a healthy scratch on several occasions during their run to the Stanley Cup last season. Now is a chance for him to showcase his worth to a team and make a final on ice impression before he hits unrestricted free agent status this summer.

So far, he has two goals in the playoffs thanks to a great performance in Game 2. He had some good looks in Game 3, but the Bruins will need Arvidsson back in top form in Game 4 to try and even up the series.

Fraser Minten

This season’s NESN’s 7th Player Award recipient, Fraser Minten has been a quiet difference maker all season. The third line almost always plays an important role in playoff series, with the teams that go deep getting the most out of the guys throughout the depth chart. So far, the Bruins have been running their “kid” line on the third, composed of Minten (21-years-old), Marat Khusnutdinov (23-years-old), and James Hagens (19-years-old).

It’s an important role for the young line, and Minten has an important role as the center of the line. The rookie had 17 goals and35 points in 82 games this season, building momentum throughout the season with the majority of his points coming in the second half of the season. 

While the playoffs are a whole new beast, the best players can rise to the occasion. Minten is obviously still young, but so far this season, he’s managed to rise to every occasion. Hopefully he can do the same here again. He’s pointless through the first three games of the series, but so far the kid line has held their own, playing the second-most 5-on-5 minutes of the four forward lines in Game 1. There is no reason to believe they won’t improve and be a difference maker in the later games of the first round.

Hampus Lindholm

Having Lindholm healthy this season has been hugely impactful in the Bruins’ turnaround. Now they also need his help if they want to move onto the second round. Charlie McAvoy had a career season in 2025-26, but he can’t carry the blue line by himself. Boston needs Lindholm and they need him healthy.

The 32-year-old had five goals and 26 points in 67 games this season. He’s pointless so far in the first three games of the series and is a minus-four. It has not been a great showing so far for the pairing of him and Mason Lohrei, but there is still time to bring it back. He’s shown he can rise to the occasion before, like his performance in the 2024 playoffs 

Lindholm could be a real difference maker in turning this series around, especially if he could help get something going as the quarterback of the second power play unit. The power play in general, after finishing the season with the ninth best power play in the league, has been quite dismal this series. In Game 3 especially, they had multiple opportunities in the third period that could have tied it up, but could hardly manage a shot on goal. They’ve had 13 power play chances so far against the Sabres and have not scored on a single one of them.

First Round Match Up

It was always going to be a tough fight for the Bruins to face the top seed in the Atlantic Division, the Sabres, in the first round of the playoffs. This is a team that seems to have had all the momentum going for them since December 2025. But so far, Boston has more than been able to keep up and play against Buffalo. 

The series is at 2 – 1, and Game 3 was arguably the Bruins worst showing of the series so far. Now they need to shake it off and reset for Game 4 this Sunday, April 26 in Boston. With the extra day off, the team should hopefully have a chance to breathe and get back into the swing of it.