The short-term impact the Leafs can have on the B's is whether Boston can secure a spot in the playoffs. The long-term effect could be much bigger, as the Bruins own the Leafs' first-round pick in June's draft. After the Bruins took an overtime victory in Toronto on Saturday night (and the Philadelphia Flyers picked up a pair of points on Sunday), the Eastern Conference playoff race is tight. The standings are as follows:
6. Montreal Canadiens, 86 points
7. Boston Bruins, 84 points
8. Philadelphia Flyers, 84 points
9. New York Rangers, 82 points
10. Atlanta Thrashers, 81 points
So where do the Leafs come into play in the playoff picture? That would be in their final three opponents, which just so happen to be the Flyers on Tuesday, Rangers on Wednesday and the Canadiens on Saturday. The Bruins have four games remaining themselves, yet three Toronto wins would go a long way in securing a Boston playoff spot.
That would come with a price, though, as three Toronto wins would almost assuredly launch the Maple Leafs from the second-worst record in the NHL to the third- or fourth-worst. Such a move would drastically change the Bruins' draft pick, as the chances of landing the top overall pick change significantly based on a team's final record. Also, the most slots a team can drop after the draft lottery is one, meaning as it stands now, the Bruins would be guaranteed the third overall pick at the very worst. The chances to land the top overall pick, if the season were to end today, are as follows:
1. 30th place, Edmonton Oilers: 48.2 percent chance of keeping the first overall pick
2. 29th place, Boston Bruins (via Toronto Maple Leafs): 18.8 percent chance of getting first overall pick
3. 28th place, Tampa Bay Lightning: 14.2 percent chance
4. 27th place, Florida Panthers, 10.7 percent chance
5. 26th place, Carolina Hurricanes: 8.1 percent chance
As it stands now, the Leafs (72 points) are just two points shy of catching Tampa Bay and Florida (74 points), though both the Panthers and Lightning have four games remaining, as opposed to the Leafs' three.
Clearly, should Toronto finish the season on a winning streak, it could help earn the Bruins a spot in the playoffs, but it could very well cost Boston a shot at highly touted youngsters Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.
It leaves Bruins fans a bit torn in terms of what to root for. The most optimistic of them will be hoping for a first-round matchup with either New Jersey or Buffalo, hoping the Bruins can ride Tuukka Rask and pull off an upset. The pessimists in the crowd will simply hope the Maple Leafs remain at the NHL's basement, regardless of the short-term impact on the Bruins.
Neither of those groups, however, will be able to have any say in what actually takes place on the ice. That much is up to the Bruins and Maple Leafs, and it begins on Monday night in Washington.
