After two days off following a 4-3 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at the KeyBank Center in New York, the Boston Bruins returned to the ice on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild at the TD Garden. The Black and Gold begin a vital stretch with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
After facing the Wild, Boston will jump on a plane and head to Columbus to play the Blue Jackets on Sunday. To say that this is a huge weekend in terms of points in the Eastern Conference playoff race would be a huge understatement. Two losses this weekend, and things get very difficult for Marco Sturm's crew.
Ten games remain in the regular season, and things are going to come up quickly. Every single game and every single point is important in terms of the postseason race. Just how big is it? Sturm is considering doing something that rarely happens in the NHL.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm hinted that Jeremy Swayman could potentially play both games this weekend
Before playing Minnesota on Saturday, Sturm met with the media and hinted at the possibility of Swayman playing both games on the back-to-back, 24 hours apart. In the overall big picture, this wouldn't be surprising if it happened.
Sturm said it's on the table that Swayman could play both games in this weekend's back to back:
— Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) March 28, 2026
"For sure. He had a few days off, so that was good, I think he needed it...I would say Swayman could be a candidate for tomorrow as well." pic.twitter.com/g9GuwK1cIU
Earlier on Saturday, there were two results that affect the Bruins' postseason push. The Ottawa Senators lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2, and remain two points behind Boston. The New York Islanders beat the Florida Panthers, 5-2. You can see how things can change on a day-by-day basis at this time of the year.
Joonas Korpisalo picked up the win against the Sabres, which came on the heels of a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2, on Tuesday night. Swayman got that start, and there was some thought that he was going to play in Buffalo. He didn't, and now there is a good possibility it will happen this weekend.