What the Sabres said about Marco Sturm’s message on the Bruins being the ‘more physical’ team

“I'm not worried about what they're thinking."

Marco Sturm and the Bruins are set to take on the Sabres on Sunday night. John Tlumacki/Boston Globe

April 19, 2026

3 minutes to read

Marco Sturm wasn’t lacking in confidence on Friday when asked what type of tone he wants the Bruins to set once the puck drops on Sunday in Game 1 of Boston’s first-round series against the Sabres.

“We don’t really care,” Sturm said of Buffalo’s home-ice advantage when it comes to last change and chasing matchups. “We know how we have to play. We’re going to be ready to go. We’re excited.

“We are bigger, stronger. We are more physical. We just have to be smart. We’re going to go after them and whoever comes in — first line, second — I don’t really care. We try to play our game and not their game.”

Sturm’s confidence in his team’s ability to dole out damage doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

The Bruins have embraced an identity as an on-ice battering ram all season, ranking second in the NHL in fights (33) and boasting seven players who have logged at least 100 hits this year.

While Boston ranks sixth in the NHL in total hits, Buffalo ranks 21st in the same category.

Even if Sturm might have been opting for some gamesmanship with his comments about the Bruins’ physical advantage against Buffalo, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t take the bait when asked on Saturday about Sturm’s remarks.

“That’s his take on his team,” Ruff said Saturday. “I have a lot of respect for what our team has done and how we play and the speed we play in the game. They’ve got a good team. They know who they are. We know who we are.”

Sturm’s comments have become a regular talking point just ahead of puck drop between Boston and Buffalo, with Sabres forward Josh Doan acknowledging on Saturday that the players in Buffalo’s locker room are well aware of the narrative regarding Boston’s physicality.

“We’ve all seen it,” Doan said of Sturm’s comments. “It is everywhere right now. At the end of the day, our group trusts what we’re doing here. We’ll just let that play out throughout the series, and we’re going to stick to our game plan.

“It’s one of those things that you see, but at the end of the day, there’s no real response from us in this room.”

Boston might have the edge in terms of outright snarl on their roster. But Buffalo has no shortage of size as well, with the Sabres boasting 15 skaters on their roster who are 6-foot-2 or taller.

When asked about his comments gaining traction in Buffalo on Sunday, Sturm once reiterated that Boston’s approach in this series isn’t going to change.

“Yeah. Somebody had fun with it, so I’m glad that happened,” Sturm said of the response, adding: “When we’re hard on pucks, strong on pucks, when we’re physical – we have a chance. If we decide to play their way, might as well stay at home, because they’re that good.

“If you’re a Boston Bruin, we just have to play that way. It is a little bit up to us how we want to play.”

If Sturm’s comments get the Sabres to try and beat the Bruins at their own game by doling out hits and slowing the game down, it might play right into what Boston is looking to accomplish as far as slowing down the Sabres’ rush-heavy approach.

But Tanner Jeannot — who doled out 239 hits this season with eight fighting majors — isn’t concerned with how Buffalo might augment their approach against Boston.

“I’m not worried about what they’re thinking,” Jeannot said Sunday. “I just want to go out there, do my thing, and play our system as well as I can and communicate with my teammates. Hits are going to present themselves, and everybody’s going to be hitting out there. It’s playoff hockey.”