The Rangers are still hanging around, but with just three weeks left in the regular season it still looks like the four East Division playoff teams will be -- in whatever order -- the Bruins, Capitals, Islanders and Penguins.
The seeding is still far from settled, though, as the Bruins have closed the gap between themselves and those other three by winning their last four, including two over the Islanders and one over the Capitals.
Going into Tuesday night, the Bruins are six points behind the division-leading Capitals with three games in hand, four behind the second-place Islanders with two games in hand, and three behind the third-place Penguins with two in hand.
Oh, and five of their next seven games are against the last-place Sabres. The Bruins have a real chance to move up the division standings and put not just points, but another team or two between themselves and the fifth-place Rangers.
The Bruins could quite easily still end up facing any of Washington, Pittsburgh or the Islanders in the first round, so which would be the preferred first-round opponent?
The most common answer among Bruins fans and analysts would almost certainly be the Penguins. The Bruins are 4-2-0 against them this season, they’re the team that did the least to improve at the trade deadline, and they’re the least physical of the three.
Appearing on Gresh & Keefe Tuesday, NESN analyst Andrew Raycroft said he would pick the Bruins over any other East Division team in a playoff series, and that he’d actually rather face the Islanders than the Capitals, despite the fact that the Bruins are 2-3-2 against the Islanders this season and 4-1-2 against the Capitals.
“I think it’s the Islanders, if I had to pick one,” Raycroft said. “I like the Bruins in any of the three options. I think the way -- no other team has had to deal with the back-end struggles that the Bruins have. That’s what’s put them in fourth position, just that little hiccup. By the end of this week, seven days from now, they could be in first place. That’s those games in hand. That’s playing Buffalo five out of seven times. The Bruins have the most advantaged schedule down the stretch here.
“Again, I would take the Islanders. Not having Anders Lee, I don’t believe they have enough offense to beat the Bruins in a seven-game series. I know the Bruins started out 0-3-2 against them, but winning the last two games pretty handily against that group, I think they’ve busted that confidence or that upper hand the Islanders would’ve had. So I would take the Islanders just because I think Washington is a little bit of a better team.”