If the Boston Bruins are going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second season in a row, let's just say that they are going to earn it over the final 10 days of the season. That is, if the Eastern Conference playoff race is as tight as it was last season.
The Bruins finished as the first Eastern Conference wild-card with 100 points and clinched their berth on the last weekend of the regular season when the Detroit Red Wings lost to the New Jersey Devils. The Black and Gold matched up with the Buffalo Sabres in the first round and were eliminated in six games by the Atlantic Division champs.
Speaking of the Atlantic Division, it should be loaded this season and arguably the best division in the league. So many teams improved from last season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery and ended up with Gavin McKenna. When the regular season on the 2026-27 campaign winds down, the Bruins
Breaking down Bruins loaded Atlantic Division April schedule
- April 1: at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
- April 3: vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 p.m.
- April 5: at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
- April 7: at Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m.
- April 9: at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
- April 10: at Tampa Bay Lightning, 8 p.m.
That is a daunting schedule. Good grief. Five of the last six games are on the road, all against division foes. The NHL would be begging for the Bruins and those teams fighting for playoff position in those games. What's actually insane is that the Bruins are making their first and second trips to Western New York for their playoff rematch with the Sabres on April 1 and 7, six days apart. That's no joke.
Not only are there two games with Buffalo, but there are also two games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as one last trip to South Florida to play the much-improved Florida Panthers. Both teams are expected to be good.
Teams in the Metropolitan Division got better as well, so it might be very difficult for the Atlantic Division to get five teams in the playoffs again. That was the case last year with the Bruins, Sabres, Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators. Toronto might have something to say about that.
This is a very daunting schedule for the Bruins to close out the season, especially if their playoff hopes are on the line. That is why the home-heavy schedule is so big earlier in the season for the Black and Gold.
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