Bruins want to redeem themselves at home, keep season alive

BOSTON — If not for their performance at TD Garden during the regular season, the Bruins likely wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

The 29 home wins were tied with Carolina for the most in the NHL and more than even the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy.

But if the Bruins don’t fix how they’re playing at home, that appearance in the playoffs could be over in a hurry.

Boston trails Buffalo, 3-2 in their best-of-seven first-round series. The Sabres outscored the Bruins 9-2 in Games 3 and 4 at TD Garden.

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The problem goes back even further. The Bruins are 2-7 in their last nine home playoff games dating back to 2023-24. There’s no logical explanation for why it’s been harder to win at home.

“It shouldn’t be,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said. “It should elevate your game.”

Mark Kastelic said the Bruins were eager to fix their home woes, while at the same time just wanted to extend their season.

“Everyone knows what happened the last time we were home. No one was happy with the result. It’s a great opportunity now to rewrite the script,” he said. “There’s a lot of motivating factors. We want to keep playing hockey. Doesn’t matter where we are. But being back in our home arena is pretty exciting.”