Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn ImagesBUFFALO, NY – One of the league’s best lines had an off night on Sunday, and the Bruins need that to change in order to even the series on the road. Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, and Casey Mittelstadt each finished with a minus-three rating on Sunday night in Buffalo.

They were on the ice for three of the four Sabres goals; the only one they were not on for was Tage Thompson’s game-tying goal. It was only the second time this season that Zacha has finished with a minus-three, the first time for Mittelstadt and Arvidsson. “I think the Zacha line, they can be better, they really can,” Marco Sturm said on Monday.

“They were just okay, but I know they have another gear like they’ve been all year. So I think that’s one line that needs to get better.”At 5-on-5, the second line was outattempted 13-8, and they recorded three shots while allowing six. They had 0.277 expected goals, but allowed 0.412 expected goals according to MoneyPuck.

The second line was the Bruins’ most productive line throughout the regular season; their plus-19 goal differential was the second-best in the league. There were many games where the second line drove the Bruins to the finish. The second line is centered by Zacha, who found his home in the middle of the ice and has been outspoken about his desire to play there.

He posted career-high numbers in goals (30) and points (65), as well as power play points (22). He also shot at a 22.9% rate, which is another career-high. Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney have praised Pavel Zacha’s shot throughout the season.

Sweeney even said that people within the organization have told Zacha they believe he is capable of scoring 30 goals. However, in the playoffs, Zacha’s track record has not matched his regular-season production. He had an assist on David Pastrnak’s third goal last night, which is his 13th playoff point in 26 career games.

But he has only scored one career playoff goal. It came in Game 6 of the 2024 semifinals vs. Florida. It’s a bit of a gray area; he is coming off a career-high season, but those numbers have not historically translated to the postseason.

Viktor Arvidsson, in his first season with the Bruins, scored 25 goals for the first time since the 2022-23 season, and he is one year removed from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He did not play in every Oilers game on that run, but he doubled his point production this season and has not moved from the second line. Arvidsson was also with the Nashville Predators when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.

He played on a dominant line with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg, and their goal differential was a plus-18 that season (plus-5 in the playoffs). Though he just skated in his first playoff game with the Bruins on Sunday, he has played in 88 career playoff games, the third-most on the Boston roster. Lastly, Casey Mittelstadt settled in on the left side after years of playing center.

Marco Sturm has called the line “a good mix,” and Mittelstadt’s playmaking ability is why. He spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career in Buffalo, and when he carried the puck through the neutral zone, Sabres fans let him know that they were not too pleased to see him. Mittelstadt never saw playoff action until he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 2024.

He had nine points (3-6–9) in 11 games that season. The minus-3 is uncharacteristic of the second line this season, but fortunately, Game 2 is on Monday (7:30 PM). The Bruins talked at length about being a resilient team, and Marco Sturm said they were exactly where they wanted to be on Sunday.Then all of a sudden, the Sabres capitalized on some Bruins mistakes and took a lead.

Sturm has kept the second line together throughout the season, and for good reason. However, they are critical to the Bruins’ first-round chances, and if they cannot perform on both ends of the ice, the Bruins could be staring at an early exit. FOLLOW @JACKSTUDLEY13 ON 𝕏 | FOLLOW @BOSHockeyNow ON 𝕏