It took a little longer than it should have, but the Boston Bruins are officially in the playoffs. They couldn't seal the deal themselves Saturday afternoon, letting a third-period lead slip away in a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. But they got enough help elsewhere, with the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings both losing in regulation.
For that, the Bruins can breathe a sigh of relief. And then they'll want to get to work, because this five-game losing streak can't feel great, even if other teams weren't able to make them pay for it.
The Bruins really would have preferred to just take care of business themselves. They also let Ottawa slide ahead of them for the first wild card spot, as the Senators own the regulation wins tiebreaker.
Morgan Geekie on the mood after the the Bruins’ 2-1 loss to Tampa: “It’s brutal. It feels like we're in control of our own destiny, which we are, but I think that makes it worse when you can't seem to get a point or two.” pic.twitter.com/UZkWYENDls
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) April 11, 2026
As the Bruins are learning in crash-course fashion, nothing is easy this time of year. Suddenly a team that looked like it was learning how to win big games just a couple weeks ago was now starting to wilt under pressure, needing to rely on other results breaking their way instead of just slamming the door shut themselves.
An offense that ranked top 10 in the NHL pretty much all season has now been held to a single goal in four of these five losses. Jeremy Swayman was making a push for the Vezina Trophy with his post-Olympics hot streak, but now he's lost four straight decisions.
Saturday's blown lead wasn't really on Swayman, though. On Tampa's first goal, Jonathan Aspirot lost his man in transition, handing Brandon Hagel a breakaway. On the second, Casey Mittelstadt turned the puck over in the defensive zone, leading to a Brayden Point shot that got deflected in front before popping out to Lilleberg for the finish.
"We had them," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. "And when you get scored against, it felt a little bit different, a little bit more pressure I would say. But I thought we still were managing it okay. It's a good team over there, and I feel like exactly what happened tonight, it happened in the past against them, those little moments. If you just look at the two goals against, that hurts. Unfortunately it cost us the game."
The Bruins have had a third-period lead in each of their last 3 games vs. Tampa, but have lost all 3.
David Pastrnak: “We get the lead, but then just… they're too skilled and too good for us to not keep pushing. And they came back again.” pic.twitter.com/5sab4p0jyS
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) April 11, 2026
The offense going quiet again cost them as well. Morgan Geekie continued his recent turnaround with a fourth goal in the last two games, but that was the only bright spot. The first line of Geekie, David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm struggled outside of that, as the Bruins got out-attempted 18-9 during their 5-on-5 minutes. They were also on the ice for Tampa's first goal.
The second line, so reliable all season for the Bruins, was on the ice for 10 scoring chances against, including the winning goal. The third line of Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov and Mikey Eyssimont had some good possession, out-attempting the Lightning 8-3 during their shifts, but couldn't translate it to many actual scoring chances. On the best chance they did get, Minten held onto the puck too long on a point-blank look from the slot. The fourth line at least brought its forechecking game, repeatedly hemming the Lightning in their own zone.
Naturally, the biggest question offensively heading into Sunday is: Will James Hagens play? The Bruins' 19-year-old top prospect graduated from the AHL and signed his entry-level contract on Wednesday, but after one and a half practices this week, he was deemed not ready to help on Saturday.
Sturm was not ready to tip his hand either way when asked postgame if Hagens might play in Columbus, but clinching a playoff berth should make it an easier decision to get Hagens in.
"I don't know," Sturm said. "I'm just not there yet. I gotta look at some video today and decide tomorrow, and go from there."
Could James Hagens debut Sunday in Columbus after the Bruins’ loss to Tampa on Saturday?
Marco Sturm: “I don’t know. I'm just not there yet. I gotta look at some video today and decide tomorrow, and go from there.” pic.twitter.com/9E6JtTnrCG
— WEEI (@WEEI) April 11, 2026
If Hagens does go in, it could be for Eyssimont. Eyssimont, to be fair, was not the problem Saturday. He didn't commit a defensive mistake that led to a goal against. But he also wasn't really part of the solution. He had one shot attempt and played a team-low 10:49. It's absolutely fair to wonder if Hagens could bring more of an offensive spark to a team that desperately needs it.
Regardless of who's in the lineup, the Bruins as a whole just need to play better hockey these last two games of the regular season. Even after backing into a playoff berth, they still need to find a way to feel better about their own game before Game 1 next weekend.
