The Bruins score of the day was not on the ice yet but on the lineup card. Marco Sturm planned a slightly altered look for Game 4 against the Sabres on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, with Lukas Reichel set to replace James Hagens as Boston tried to claw out of a 2-1 hole in the first-round series.
Reichel skated at left wing on the third line during Saturday morning practice at Warrior Arena and also worked on the second power-play unit. Jordan Harris was on the second defensive pairing with Hampus Lindholm, and would draw in for Mason Lohrei if Lohrei plays.
The move gives Reichel a playoff chance after 10 games with Boston following his trade-deadline arrival for a sixth-round draft pick. He posted a goal and three points in those 10 games, and now gets the kind of speed-first role Sturm said the Bruins need. Reichel, who has 23 goals and 62 points in 198 career games since going 17th overall in 2020, said he wanted to bring energy, speed and a little offense when he gets the opportunity.
Sturm’s trust in the 19-year-old Hagens remains intact, even if the rookie comes out for Game 4. Hagens skated between Mikey Eyssimont and Alex Steeves, while Eyssimont and Steeves also took turns on the left side with center Fraser Minten and right winger Marat Khusnutdinov. Sturm said Hagens had not been shelved for the rest of the playoffs and would be used again soon, framing the scratch as part of the grind of playoff hockey rather than a judgment on the player.
Reichel last suited up on April 12, when Boston beat Columbus, and that was the night before the Bruins clinched their playoff berth. Sturm said he likes what Reichel brings in a tighter series: high-end skill, speed, and power-play value, along with the challenge of digging in on the forecheck and battling for pucks. The Bruins need that mix now, because the margin in this series is already thin and Game 4 could decide whether Boston heads to the next game with momentum or under serious pressure.
