Last season, one team that surprised many people by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs was the Boston Bruins. After a rough beginning to the season in Marco Sturm's first full season in Boston, they turned things around around the first of the year and ended up securing the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
When the dust settled on the regular season, five teams in the Atlantic Division made up the eight-team playoff field. The Carolina Hurricanes, who won the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs from the Metropolitan Division.
However, if the Black and Gold are going to get back into the playoffs next spring, they are going to have to earn it in what is going to be a loaded Eastern Conference and, more so, a loaded Atlantic Division.
Bruins David Pastrnak drops bold statement on upcoming 2026-27 season
After Boston's first workout at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday, Pastrnak met the media at his locker and, according to Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal, dropped a statement that is going to be true with a new 84-game schedule.
“To be honest, there's no room for mistakes in our division,'' said Pastrnak, per Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal. "Everybody is getting better, including us. 100 points is the new 90 points to make the playoffs, I would say.”
As for no room for mistakes in the Atlantic Division this season, Pastrnak is correct. A tough division got much tougher this season.
The Florida Panthers missed the playoffs last season after winning the previous two Stanley Cups. They are a healthy team going into the season, something they weren't last season. They also acquired Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk to play with his brother Matthew. The rich keep getting richer. Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand begins season recovering from an offseason surgery, but isn't expected to miss a lot of time.
Last season, the Buffalo Sabres won the Atlantic Division. Let that sink in your mind. They knocked out the Bruins in six games in the first round of the playoffs. They are back and looking to defend their Atlantic Division title. Maybe the best team in the division is the Montreal Canadiens, who added Chris Kreider in free agency last week.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be good again, while the Toronto Maple Leafs return a solid core along with the first overall pick in June's draft, Gavin McKenna. Ottawa has questions, and the Detroit Red Wings are going through a leadership change, but they signed former Boston forward Viktor Arvidsson in free agency.
When the dust settles, whoever finishes in the top three spots for the postseason in the Atlantic Division will earn it, and at least 100 points will be needed to secure a wild-card spot. With a Metropolitan Division that has gotten so much better as well, more than 100 points will be needed. Pastrnak is correct.
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