The Boston Bruins are hoping to finish their pre-Olympic break portion of the schedule strong on Wednesday night. After a disappointing blown lead on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins' top priority will be taking three of a possible four points from their Florida road trip. However, the game could also mean much more with the Florida Panthers spiraling down the standings.
The Panthers are in last place in the Atlantic Division and are nine points behind the Bruins for the last wild card spot. A loss on Thursday night would put them 11 points behind Boston, with the second half of a back-to-back looming against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers likely need to win both games to give them some optimism for the post-Olympic break, and a loss in the first game against the Bruins should kill their spirit.
Injuries have been the issue for the Panthers this season. It's what going to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals will do to a team, but it won't make it any less sweeter for all the fans who've grown to hate the Panthers if they fail to make the postseason. After the torture the Bruins have gone through at the hands of the Panthers the past few years, it'd be a minor victory in the rivalry.
It isn't just the points in hand on the Panthers that will help the Bruins. Florida also has to win both games against Boston over the rest of the season to win the tiebreaker in the event of a tie in the standings. It seems minor, but that extra cushion of knowing they can tie Florida and still make the playoffs could be huge for Boston down the line.
Taking the Panthers out of the equation, a Bruins victory will help them regain their cushion as we head into the Olympic break. Boston currently has a lot of teams in the rearview mirror who are narrowing the gap, and maintaining a comfortable cushion for when the league reconvenes at the end of February will be massive.
Knocking one more team off in Florida would make Boston fans feel much better. The point gap might be large, but most Bruins fans would admit that the team they are most scared of down the stretch is the Panthers. If the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions can get hot, they are capable of getting themselves back into it.