Boston Bruins fans have a much greater outlook on their team after this past weekend. Another disappointing blown lead to the Tampa Bay Lightning started the weekend off on a sour note, but thanks to a favorable out of town scoreboard, the Bruins managed to clinch their spot in the playoffs. It led to the successful debut of James Hagens on Sunday, which broke the team's five-game losing streak and put them back in the driver's seat in the wild card race.
The Ottawa Senators also blew their lead in Sunday's game, which knocked them back into the second wild card and set up a great opportunity for the Bruins against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. A win will lock them into the first wild card and set up a matchup with the Buffalo Sabres in the first round.
Bruins-Sabres is a favorable matchup for Boston
If picking between the Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, and Carolina Hurricanes as potential playoff opponents, Buffalo is the best option. The Lightning and Hurricanes have a ton of postseason experience that can get them past a first-round matchup with the Bruins, while the Canadiens have been red-hot and ready to make a run.
The Sabres are a greater unknown. Their goaltending is a bit shaky, they just broke the longest playoff drought in the NHL, and many of their players haven't experienced playoff hockey. It isn't going to be easy by any means with the way the KeyBank Center is going to be rocking for Games 1 and 2, but the Sabres are the most beatable team of the bunch.
The Bruins have also had some success against the Sabres this year despite their rise to first in the division, while the Hurricanes and Lightning have been a nightmare matchup.
Bruins' wild card clinch takes away Senators-Maple Leafs importance
If the Bruins lose on Tuesday night, they still aren't guaranteed to play the Hurricanes in the first round. The Senators will then need to give it their all against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night to win that game and set up a matchup with the Sabres. With the Senators' injury issues, they might prefer to have nothing to play for on Wednesday.
That would also help the Bruins immensely. If the Senators have nothing to play for, it increases the likelihood of a Maple Leafs win, which would keep them at least in the fifth-last spot in the standings and possibly send them to sixth-last depending on how the Seattle Kraken finish their season. The Leafs finishing in the 5-6 range gives the Bruins a greater than 50% chance of getting Toronto's first-round pick this year.
If the Bruins were ever going to win a game heading into the postseason, Tuesday night against the Devils is the time to do it. The good news is that Marco Sturm is looking to dress his playoff best in the final tune-up.
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