The Eastern Conference playoff race is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic battles in many years. The Boston Bruins know that the best, as they've lost just two games in regulation over the last 10 games, but have still lost ground to the Columbus Blue Jackets and haven't gained much ground on the teams ahead of them.
Speaking of the teams ahead of them, the Bruins were just two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens entering tonight's game, while the Detroit Red Wings have also been falling back toward the pack. Even though the Canadiens won on Wednesday night and extended their lead, the Bruins will take it under these circumstances.
The Bruins have enough to worry about with the Blue Jackets, but the Ottawa Senators have also lowered the deficit to five points with a game in hand. The Senators' matchup with the Canadiens on Wednesday was the game in hand, and Ottawa could've narrowed the lead to three points with a victory.
It was a bit of a double-edged sword for the Bruins, as an Ottawa win would've narrowed the gap behind them, but then Boston would've been in striking distance to tie Montreal in points. Considering the only goal now is to make the playoffs, and the team isn't worrying about how high they can climb, an Ottawa loss was the best-case scenario.
Bruins pick up playoff race from rival Canadiens
It was a tight-checking back-and-forth affair, but the Canadiens managed to hold on for a 3-2 win with a heroic performance from rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler in the final minutes of the third period. The Senators are still five points behind the Bruins, with the same number of games played.
The Bruins could have an interesting battle ahead with the Canadiens, as the Detroit Red Wings are beginning to fall down the standings. It seemed like Boston and its long-standing rival were going to be battling for the first and second wild cards, but with Detroit falling, the battle between the Bruins and Canadiens could end up being for the third spot in the Atlantic Division.
While Boston still has some ground to make up on Montreal, making a run for the third spot in the Atlantic could help them avoid the heartbreak of getting caught by Columbus in the wild card.