The Boston Bruins should ride along a well-paved road toward the NHL playoffs.
NHL.com ranked the strength of the Bruins’ remaining schedule the second-most-favorable among all NHL teams Monday. Boston’s 31 remaining opponents have an average points percentage of .537, second-lowest only behind the Colorado Avalanche. whose remaining opponents boast an average points percentage of just .527.
The Bruins have 31 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, with 13 of them scheduled to take place at TD Garden and 18 on the road.
Boston currently leads the Atlantic Division with 70 points after 51 games. However, the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning trail the Bruins by seven points and have two games in hand. Tampa Bay has the fourth-most-favorable remaining schedule, opponents’ average points percentage is .543, so the race for Atlantic supremacy likely will be hotly contested.
The same can be said about the race for top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Washington Capitals, whose opponents have an average points percentage is .542 (third-most-favorable), lead the second-place Bruins by three points but have a game in hand.
The Bruins will return to action from the NHL All-Star break Friday when they visit the Winnipeg Jets.
