The Boston Bruins kick off their first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. The Bruins will certainly be looking to start the series off with a victory in Game 1 against Buffalo. However, the Bruins are entering this series as the clear underdogs. The Sabres were the NHL's best team during the second half of the season and finished the campaign with a 50-23-9 record. Due to this, the Bruins will need all of their best players to step up for them if they hope to beat the Sabres. However, this is especially the case when it comes to the Bruins' first-line center Elias Lindholm. The Bruins desperately need Lindholm to play at his highest level against the Sabres. While the 31-year-old center had a solid second season with the Bruins, he noticeably cooled off during the final stretch. In his final seven games of the regular-season, Lindholm had zero goals and one assist. While Lindholm struggled down the stretch for the Bruins, the potential for him to heat back up during the playoffs is there. He was one of the Bruins' key offensive contributors this season, as he had 17 goals, 31 assists, and 48 points in 69 games. With this, the Bruins need him to get his offense going again against a very good Sabres. It will be interesting to see what happens on that front from here.
