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Bruins Clinch No. 1 WC Seed, Draw Perfect Playoff Opponent
TL;DR
The Boston Bruins secured the No. 1 wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference for the NHL Playoffs with a regulation win over the New Jersey Devils. They will face the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, a matchup seen as favorable compared to facing the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres
Bruins Clinch No. 1 WC Seed, Draw Perfect Playoff Opponent originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With the Boston Bruins regulation win over the New Jersey Devils in Tuesday night’s regular season finale, they have locked up the No. 1 wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference for the NHL Playoffs.
The difference between playing the No. 1 overall seeded Carolina Hurricanes and the No. 2 seeded Buffalo Sabres cannot be overstated.
Coming into the season, the Sabres held the record in North America for the longest playoff drought among any professional team on the continent. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are riding the longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances in franchise history, at eight seasons.
With their win, the Bruins will be taking a trip to Buffalo to play a young, inexperienced team playing in their first playoff game in more than 14 years.
However, it will not be a walk in the park. The Sabres won the Atlantic Division, becoming just the fifth team in NHL history to trail by more than eight points in the division standings and come back to win it.
The Sabres are led by Olympic Gold Medalist Tage Thompson, whose 40 goals and 41 assists both lead the team.
Starting goal tender Alex Lyon will miss the start of the postseason for the Sabres, leaving 27-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen between the pipes for Buffalo.
The Bruins will ride a two-game winning streak into the playoffs that will begin on Saturday, April 18.
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Q&A
How did the Boston Bruins clinch the No. 1 wild-card seed?
The Boston Bruins clinched the No. 1 wild-card seed by winning their regular season finale against the New Jersey Devils.
Who will the Boston Bruins play in the first round of the NHL Playoffs?
The Boston Bruins will play against the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the NHL Playoffs.
What is the significance of facing the Buffalo Sabres instead of the Carolina Hurricanes?
Facing the Buffalo Sabres is considered more favorable for the Bruins compared to facing the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes, as the Sabres are seen as a less challenging opponent.
