The Buffalo Sabres are winning their first-round playoff series against Boston in part because their defensemen are dominating on offense and defense.
The Buffalo Sabres have one of the NHL's most explosive offensive attacks this season.
Through 82 games, the Sabres scored the fifth-most goals as they won the Atlantic Division and made the playoffs for the first time since Thomas Vanek was in his prime.
But in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Boston Bruins, the Sabres' offense – while solid – isn't the dominant factor.
No, the dominant factor so far has been Buffalo's defense. Their defensemen have contributed at both ends of the ice, and the team will have a great chance of eliminating the Bruins in Friday's Game 6 if they keep it up.
The Sabres are letting in only 2.20 goals per game. The three teams that averaged fewer goals against – the Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes – won their first-round series.
Buffalo's also averaging just 25 shots against per game, the second-fewest in these playoffs.
Their defensemen are not only stingy in their own end but also stepping up on offense.
Bowen Byram sits tied for second on the team in points, with five, and tied for first in goals, with three.
Owen Power has a team-high four assists. And captain Rasmus Dahlin has chipped in a goal and two points. That's 11 total points from Byram, Power and Dahlin, 10 of which came at even strength. That's crucial.
The Sabres' D-men are doing their part to win games. Buffalo lost Game 5 to the Bruins in front of a sellout home crowd, but they limited the Bruins to only two goals. There's been a tenacity we've seen out of Buffalo's defensemen and forwards, and for the most part, they've made life hell for Bruins attackers.
Star right winger Tage Thompson said Buffalo's all-around, fully-engaged game will provide the offense they'll need to squeeze past the Bruins and into the second round against either the Montreal Canadiens or Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Everyone in the room wants to play in games that are hard and games that you've got to fight through and compete and get gritty and get around the net," Thompson told NHL.com. "That's the way you're going to score goals in the playoffs… I feel like as a group, we've been doing a pretty good job of that."
The Sabres will have to earn their offense to close out the Boston series, but the more important job for Buffalo is making the Bruins regret getting anywhere close to the Sabres' net. While any offense from Buffalo's blueliners is essentially gravy, it's its overall defense that's giving Boston fits.
For that reason, you have to give Buffalo's defensemen their flowers. They may yet fall to the Bruins in this series, but it's looking more likely that the Sabres suffocate Boston and get to the second round for the first time since 2007.
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