First, the bad news. If the playoffs started Tuesday, the Boston Bruins would be on the outside looking in for the first time since 2007.
The good news, of course, is that the playoffs don’t start Tuesday, which means the B’s still have a chance to right the ship and get back in the playoff picture. However, things look pretty grim after the Ottawa Senators defeated the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, catapulting Ottawa into the second Eastern Conference wild card spot.
Here’s what the playoff matchups would look like if the season ended today.
It’s no secret that the Bruins aren’t going to make the playoffs if they don’t start playing better. The Senators have won seven in a row and show no signs of letting up, which means expecting Ottawa to falter and allow the Bruins back in — especially when the Sens have a game in hand — is a pipe dream at best. So the No. 1 priority for the Bruins is to just play better and hope that solves some of the issues.
The No. 2 priority, if you want to call it that, should be to focus on the Washington Capitals. If the Senators continue to play the way they’ve played in the last month or so, the Bruins aren’t going to catch them save for winning out. Instead, maybe the Bruins’ most likely path to the playoffs is to run down the Caps.
The schedule is a big factor. Both the Bruins and Capitals have nine games to play. The road won’t be easy for Washington, as six of those remaining nine games come against projected playoff teams with matchups against Nashville, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit and two vs. the New York Rangers. Of the remaining three games vs. non-playoff teams, one comes against the Bruins, which looks like it could be a massive tilt.
Again, that’s still asking a lot and this doesn’t even take into consideration the Florida Panthers, who could still make a run, especially with two games left against Boston.
The playoff picture isn’t pretty right now for the Bruins, but that’s what happens when you lose five games in a row down the stretch. None of this matters if the Bruins don’t start playing better, but the even harsher reality is that they now need help, too, if they’re to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in the Claude Julien era.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
