Can Boston Hold Off Ottawa to Win the Northeast Division?

by NESN Staff on Thu, Mar 15, 2012 at 8:00AM

The Bruins haven't been playing well lately, but they've still been able to hold onto an increasingly slim lead in the Northeast Division.

However, the Ottawa Senators are charging hard and playing with plenty of confidence down the stretch.

At this time, the Bruins aren't in any real danger of missing the playoffs, but should Ottawa pass them for the divisional lead, the B's will drop all the way down to the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. That would mean missing out on home ice not only in the first round of the playoffs, but also basically the entire duration of postseason play.

Boston is banged up, no question, and appears to be running on fumes. With a tough West Coast road trip looming after a pit stop in Beantown for St. Patrick's Day, the schedule isn't doing the team any favors, either.

At this stage in the season, there's plenty of hockey left to play. But what looked like a division the Bruins would run away with will now be decided over the final 13 games of the season.

Who will win the Northeast Division?