The Boston Bruins will face the Buffalo Sabres in Game 1 of the first round on Sunday. Starting the series on the right foot with a victory would be huge for the Bruins. This series between the Bruins and Sabres has the potential to be a great one between the two Atlantic Division rivals. It should also provide Bruins top prospect James Hagens with his first playoff hockey experience, which will be exciting to see. Hagens has certainly earned another chance in the Bruins' lineup for the playoffs, as he played well in the Bruins' final two games of the season. He recorded an assist, two shots, and a plus-1 rating for Boston over that span and did not look out of place in the slightest. Hagens' strong play also clearly impressed Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov, as he had some kind words for Boston's top prospect. "He's great. I'm impressed," Zadorov said about Hagens [https://x.com/ConorRyan_93/status/2045184472191058123]. "This year, we got three unbelievable kids (Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov), and they are all playing on the same line right now. It's fun to watch... Against New Jersey, you could see how smart he (Hagens) is on the ice. How good his stick is. I'm excited for him to experience what I'm going to experience on Sunday as well." Clearly, Zadorov is liking what he has seen so far from Hagens, and it is easy to understand why. The 19-year-old forward has been showing good promise early on with the Black and Gold, and it will be intriguing to see how much of an impact he can make in the playoffs.
