BOSTON — For a second year in a row, it will come down to game No. 82.
Following the Boston Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night and the Philadelphia Flyers’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins, Red Wings and Flyers will enter the final weekend of the regular season locked in a three-way battle for the Eastern Conference’s final two Stanley Cup playoff bids.
And because the NHL uses a standings system that is far more complicated than the ones employed by the other three major sports, there are quite a few ways each of the three teams could earn passage to the postseason and, in turn, several ways each could miss out.
For starters, each team’s remaining schedule is detailed below. Boston and Detroit each have one game remaining; Philadelphia has two.
Bruins (93 points)
Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET vs. Ottawa Senators
Red Wings (93 points)
Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET at New York Rangers
Flyers (92 points)
Saturday, 3 p.m. ET vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Sunday, 7Â p.m. ETÂ at New York Islanders
The Bruins would advance to playoffs if any of the following scenarios play out, with a note that regulation/overtime wins (ROW) serves as the first tiebreaker for teams that finish with identical point totals:
— Bruins win in any fashion, Red Wings lose or win in a shootout. In this scenario, the Bruins would finish third in the Atlantic Division and play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round regardless of how the Flyers fare.
— Bruins win in any fashion, Red Wings win in regulation or overtime, Flyers lose either one of their remaining games in any fashion. In this scenario, the Bruins would earn the second wild-card spot and play the Washington Capitals in the first round.
— Bruins lose in overtime/shootout, Red Wings lose in regulation. In this scenario, the Bruins would finish third in the Atlantic Division and play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round regardless of how the Flyers fare.
— Bruins lose in overtime/shootout, Red Wings win or lose in overtime/shootout, Flyers earn two or fewer points from their final two games (one regulation loss or two overtime losses). In this scenario, the Bruins would earn the second wild-card spot and play the Washington Capitals in the first round.
— Bruins lose in regulation, Flyers earn one or zero points from their final two games (two regulation losses or one regulation loss and one overtime loss). In this scenario, the Bruins would earn the second wild-card spot and play the Washington Capitals in the first round regardless of how the Red Wings fare.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
