The Bruins haven’t had anything at stake on the season’s final day in quite some time, but that changes Thursday as the 2024-25 campaign comes to a close.
Of course, they’re probably not thrilled that they’ll be invested in the final contests.
Boston’s season came to a merciful end Tuesday night with an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. The Stanley Cup playoffs will be played without the Black and Gold for the first time in nearly a decade.
That fate was sealed a while ago, and the future is far more important than the past. What’s still uncertain is just how close to the bottom of the NHL the Bruins finish the season. Put another way: It will come down to the season’s final day before we know how close to the top of the draft board the Bruins might be picking.
Here’s what we know: The Bruins, with 76 points and 26 regulation wins, can’t fall any lower than No. 5, regardless of what happens with the rest of the league. The Bruins and Seattle have both finished their respective seasons with 76 points, but the Bruins win (lose?) the tiebreaker with the Kraken by having two fewer regulation wins.
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Right now, the Bruins are technically at No. 4. Whether they stay there depends on what happens in Thursday’s Philadelphia-Buffalo game. Philadelphia also has 76 points but with 21 regulation wins (kind of wild). So, if the Flyers get a point Thursday against the Sabres, the Bruins will finish in the No. 4 spot. If the Flyers lose in regulation, the Bruins will be No. 5.
If you’re a Bruins fan, especially one of a certain age, you may not realize the NHL has a draft lottery. If the B’s end up with that No. 4 spot, they would have a 9.5% chance of winning the No. 1 pick in the lottery. Boston could also get the second pick, as the NHL also puts that selection into a lottery. If Boston holds at that fourth spot, they could also fall in the lottery, but the worst they would do is No. 6.
One thing that could theoretically play into the Bruins’ hands Thursday is that Buffalo stands to gain by losing. While professional teams actively tanking and trying to lose games is almost always overstated, the Sabres have 77 points. If Philly beat them in regulation to get to 78 points, the Flyers would leapfrog the Sabres in the NHL standings, and thus, fall behind them on the draft board.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images
