Marco Sturm comments about the Sabres show he is underestimating his opponent

There's some things that you never do in life.

You never interrupt your opponent when they're making a mistake.

You don't spoil big movies right when they come out (I know people who have been on the receiving end of that for a certain superhero two-parter).

And you don't reveal your hand/strategy (unless you're the New York Jets, then you're forced to do so by the power of Bill Belichick).

Unfortunately and unknowingly, Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm did just that.

Marco Sturm clearly is under-estimating the Buffalo Sabres heading into this series

In a press conference leading into his team's first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres, Sturm basically gave away what his team needed to do to beat the Sabres.

Someone didn't watch the two most recent editions of the Sabres-Lightning rivalry.

But while Sturm failed at keeping his cards to his chest, he is also correct to some extent. Decades worth of Bruins playoff teams have been based on a physical, get under your skin, and a wear you down/tear you down style of hockey. And we've seen it in playoff runs past; Zdeno Chara specialized in the physical side of the game, while Brad Marchand could easily get under people's skin.

This time around, it's Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak leading the way both in terms of roster depth and physicality. The same could be said for Pavel Zacha, while Jeremy Swayman could easily get himself involved in a scrap of some kind.

In terms of being smart, it goes both ways.

For the Bruins, it involves avoiding the simple mistakes and getting stuck in their own end. That's exactly what happened during the Stadium Series; the Bruins gave up penalty after penalty during the latter half of the second period. One such penalty was a needless delay of game call that came as a result of Swayman flipping the puck out of play. The Lightning used the resulting power plays to get within one goal by the end of the second period before ultimately winning the game in a shootout.

I'd also like to note that I'm not suggesting that the Sabres aren't allowed to be physical and that they have to get mopped around in a similar fashion to what Boston did to the first few "Core Four" playoff teams in Toronto (at least in terms of physicality).

But there's being physical, and then there's being smart and physical.

Take the Sabres' 8-7 game against the Lightning as an example. Yes, both teams filled the penalty box like it was a pack of sardines, but like Boston, that's what Tampa Bay does best. Get under people's skin, cause fights, and use that to drag themselves into games. And that's what they did when they reversed a 4-0 hole and then built a 7-5 lead in the third period. Sure, there were cases where Sabres players just didn't want to fight, but one can't deny that's part of how Tampa Bay even got close to seven goals.

Those physical, high-intensity games are the exact kind of games that your typical Tampa Bay or Boston team knows how to win. They're also more than capable of going on the road, outperforming their opponent, and simply demoralizing them. It's a phenomenon that's been tried and tested throughout the past 15 years, and it's one the Florida Panthers only recently replicated to success.

So how does Buffalo keep this sea bear away?

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as avoiding cubed cheese or drawing a circle in the ice (that might work if you're a goaltender).

But with the above in mind, Buffalo can take Sturm's words to heart and stay out of the penalty box. They should also strive to avoid egging the Bruins on (sea bears and the Bruins do tend to attack more than once). That includes staying away from retaliation, something that will cause a penalty and likely a reaction from the Bruins lineup. If the Sabres fail to do so, the ninth-best power play unit in the league awaits.

The same argument applies to Boston. Stay out of the box, and you're as golden as a Boston Cream donut; that argument is easy to reinforce considering that the Bruins concede the fifth-fewest goals during five-on-five play. Get too physical, and that donut is basically getting stepped on; while the Sabres' penalty kill is 20th in the league, the Bruins' penalty kill isn't a world-beating unit; not only is the Bruins' four-on-five play just 24th in the league but they also give up the fifth-most goals while being down a player.

Sturm may say his Bruins are ready for the Sabres and will go after them. But the Sabres have shown that they are more than capable of handling the league's best and most experienced teams, and they are ready to make Sturm think twice while showcasing what they're all about in the playoffs.

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