The Bruins have technically still not clinched a playoff spot, thanks in large part to the fact that they've lost three games in a row.
They will at some point soon, though. It could happen as soon as Friday night, if the Canadiens beat the Islanders. And if that doesn't happen, a Bruins win of any kind over the Penguins on Saturday would do the trick.
The Bruins' main goal after clinching will be to get and stay healthy. They have had a rather ridiculous six players leave a game due to injury in the last 11 days. Linus Ullmark was the latest on Thursday night, as he played just one period after getting hit in the mask with a slap shot. He did not practice on Friday, with Troy Grosenick getting called up from Providence to serve as Jeremy Swayman's backup. Coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters Ullmark would be unavailable for Saturday's game and is considered "day-to-day."
Matt Grzelcyk and Trent Frederic both missed just one game due to their injuries and are already back. Brandon Carlo missed Thursday's game after getting hurt on Tuesday, but he was back at practice on Friday and could return Saturday.
David Pastrnak has missed the last five games and Hampus Lindholm has missed the last four. Cassidy has maintained that neither is a truly long-term injury, but he acknowledged this week that both have lingered longer than initially expected. According to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, Pastrnak and Lindholm both skated before Friday's practice, but did not join the main practice. That rules them out for at least one more game.
After health, though, one of the next questions for the Bruins would be about seeding. Is there a certain spot they should want to finish? A first-round matchup to target? A team to avoid?
It wasn't too long ago that finishing second in the Atlantic Division and getting home ice in the first round was very much in play for the Bruins. That dream may be over, though, thanks to a combination of the Bruins' recent skid and the Maple Leafs' 8-1-1 surge over their last 10 games. Boston is now seven points behind Toronto with eight games to go.
The Bruins could still catch the Lightning for third, which would set up yet another first-round matchup with the Leafs. They're three points behind Tampa Bay with the same number of games played, and they still hold the tiebreaker (regulation wins) as of now.
The Leafs' goaltending issues and the Bruins' recent playoff success against Toronto might still make them a first-round dance partner worth targeting, but be careful what you wish for. The Leafs lead the league in scoring since Feb. 1, the Bruins have goaltending questions of their own right now, and Toronto's speed gave Boston fits just two weeks ago.
Where the Bruins should really have their eyes right now is on the team just below them in the standings: the Washington Capitals. The Caps looked like the locked-in eighth seed in the Eastern Conference for a long time, but they have slowly chipped away and are now just three points behind the Bruins -- again, with the same number of games played. The Bruins do still hold the tiebreaker over them as well.
Short of forcing guys to play hurt, which they obviously shouldn't do, the Bruins should do pretty much whatever else it takes to stay ahead of Washington. They absolutely should want to remain the first wild card team rather than slide below the Caps.
Dropping below Washington would almost certainly mean a first-round series against the Florida Panthers, who are now six points clear of the rest of the conference with at least one game in hand on everyone. While it's true that there's no "easy series" in the East -- as we've all been saying for months -- there is one that looks more difficult than the rest, and that's the Panthers.
The Panthers have the best goal differential in the NHL for the season (+89) and the second-best record, behind only the Colorado Avalanche. If you want to use more recent splits, well, they also rank first or second in both categories since Jan. 1, since Feb. 1, and since March 1. If you want to hone in on 5-on-5 play, well, they're first in 5-on-5 goal differential, first in Corsi-for percentage, and first in expected goals-for percentage for the season.
Point is, the Panthers are the team that has been the most consistently great all season long. All they did at the trade deadline was add a star in Claude Giroux to what was already the league's best offense. He's averaging over a point per game since he got there. They are currently without stud defenseman Aaron Ekblad, but he is expected to return during the first round of the playoffs, possibly in time for Game 1. They have gone 10-1-0 without him anyways.
If you want to dismiss the Panthers because their core is unproven in the postseason or because the franchise hasn't won a playoff series since 1996, do so at your own risk. This team is loaded.
For most of the season, crossing over to the Metropolitan Division side of the bracket -- which is what the top wild card team will do -- looked just as dangerous. That's because the Carolina Hurricanes were keeping pace with the Panthers for months, and because the Canes destroyed the Bruins in all three of their meetings this season.
However, Carolina has slipped enough that there's now a pretty clear gap between the two. The Hurricanes have gone just 7-7-3 since March 13, and they did not make any moves nearly as impactful as Giroux at the trade deadline. Their biggest addition was Max Domi, who has zero goals in 12 games with the team.
In fact, the Hurricanes may not even hold onto first place in the Metro, as the New York Rangers have closed the gap to just two points. The Rangers pose one big problem in soon-to-be Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, but they are a relatively weak 5-on-5 team (47% Corsi on the season) compared to other top teams.
Again, no one's saying the Hurricanes or Rangers would be an easy opponent. They absolutely would not be. But at least on paper, they would appear to be a little easier than the Panthers. And getting on the side of the bracket with the Hurricanes, Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins (who have lost eight of their last 12 games) would seem preferable to the side with the Panthers, Maple Leafs and Lightning.
And that's why staying ahead of the eighth-place Capitals is now even more important than trying to catch Tampa or Toronto.
