The Buffalo Sabres are set to return to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, but they are looking like the veteran team entering this series with the Boston Bruins. Or, at the very least, have a head coach who has clearly been here before.
On Friday, the Bruins' head coach made the comment that the Bruins are "bigger, stronger, more physical" than the Sabres. The Sabres had a chance to respond on Saturday and were not willing to take the bait based on these quotes from Lindy Ruff, Alex Tuch, and Josh Doan via Dom Tibbetts of WGRZ.
"That's his take on his team. I have a lot of respect for what our team has done and how we play and the speed we play," Ruff said.
"That's his analysis of it," Tuch said. "When it comes to the playoffs, everyone's got to play big and strong to be able to win. I think we have a lot of guys in here that are gonna up the physicality."
"Obviously we have all seen it, it is everywhere right now," Doan said "At the end of the day, I think our group trusts what we're doing here and we'll just let that play out throughout the series and we are going to stick to our game plan."
Buffalo Sabres have shown time and again that they are not afraid to play a physical game
Since the Buffalo Sabres are collectively one of the faster teams in the NHL, there is this misconception that they can't be a physical team. However, that is farthest from the truth, and they have done a good job of increasing the physicality when needed.
The Lightning game is a perfect example of that, where Tampa Bay clearly came in with the game plan of trying to knock the Sabres off their game. However, the Sabres didn't back down in the moment, and eventually it was the Lightning who realized it wasn't working and tried to pivot. The problem was at that point, the Sabres had regained the momentum and would end up winning 8-7.
Whether it is among the forwards with Beck Malenstyn, who finished fifth in the NHL in hits, and Jordan Greenway, or the fact that they have four defensemen who are 6'3" or bigger, the Sabres have both the size and toughness to really match up with any team in the league.
The way the Sabres are approaching this is perfect, as they would rather settle it on the ice than in soundbites. They have allowed Marco Sturm to say what he believes, and as Doan notes, they would rather let it play out on the ice.
They have that chance on Sunday evening with a scheduled start time at 7:30 for their first playoff game in 15 years.
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