If you looked back at the offseason, you might've thought that this stretch for the Boston Bruins would have had the toughest game being against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, this version of the Leafs is a shell of the team that battled with the Bruins over the past decade. While no fan wanted to lose to Toronto over that stretch because of the hatred, this game is a must-win because of how poorly they've been playing lately.
If the Bruins fail to record two points against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, they'll move on to play the hottest team in the league, the Buffalo Sabres, on Wednesday. It isn't the easiest two-day stretch for Boston, with Joonas Korpisalo likely having to start one of those two games.
After the Sabres, the Bruins return home to face the Minnesota Wild, who are one of the most talented teams in the league with the moves they've made this season to acquire Quinn Hughes. Then it won't get any easier when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are right up there with the Sabres as one of the league's hottest.
To continue with the back-and-forth nature of the schedule, Boston has to go back home to host the Dallas Stars, who are right up there with the Wild in the Western Conference, before heading to Florida for the dreaded two-game stretch against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers, like the Leafs, are struggling this season, but they'll always give Boston a hard game.
The Bruins might have over a 75% chance of making the postseason after their massive win over the Detroit Red Wings, but those odds could start dropping dramatically with a couple of losses during this upcoming stretch. With none of the other teams around them slowing down, the Bruins likely need to win at least five of the next seven games.
With the schedule looking like it is, the Bruins need two points over both the Leafs and Panthers. If not, they're forced to beat five playoff teams to remain a playoff team themselves. While the belief is strong with the team, that seems like a lofty goal, even for them.