Boston Bruins News: Huge final game, soaring prospect, 7th Player Award

When the New Jersey Devils beat the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, that punched the Boston Bruins' ticket to the playoffs. As soon as that happened, you just knew that head coach Marco Sturm was going to tinker with his lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.

By now, you know that James Hagens made his NHL debut, but Sturm took advantage of the X next to their name in the standings to rest some veterans. Sitting were Charlie McAvoy, Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, Hampus Lindholm, and Tanner Jeannot, while Jeremy Swayman backed up Joonas Korpisalo. At this point in the season, Zacha was grateful for the opportunity to be a healthy scratch.

“I think it was nice. Just have a day, watch the game, get some rest,” Zacha said. “I think it was a good decision. We have to be ready for tomorrow.”​

Sturm said on Monday that he plans on some of the players who were scratched against the Blue Jackets to be back in the lineup against the Devils. A win of any kind and Boston locks up the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Michael DiPietro has stellar AHL season

Michael DiPietro's numbers this season with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League are video game numbers. He has 34 wins, a 1.88 GAA, and a .931 SV% with 11 shutouts. He has joined an elite company in terms of franchise records, including Tim Thomas.

Bruins 7th Player Award to be handed out on Tuesday night

Tuesday night's final regular-season game will be the night the 7th Player Award is handed out. The four candidates were announced after the Olympic break: Jonathan Aspirot, Marat Khusnutdinov, Mark Kastelic, and Fraser Minten. Truth be told, you can't go wrong with whoever wins the award. It's been one of those years.

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