CLINCHED: Boston Bruins Book Ticket to Stanley Cup Playoffs

TL;DR

The Boston Bruins have secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite a loss on Saturday, thanks to favorable outcomes from the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils. They could have clinched earlier with a win.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Boston Bruins are going back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Although they lost on Saturday, the Bruins got help from the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils and punched their ticket to the postseason.

They had an opportunity to clinch earlier in the day by simply winning.

However, the Bruins fell 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the TD Garden on Saturday. Morgan Geekie scored the lone Bruins’ goal, his 38th of the season, but the Lightning scored twice in the third period.

Because the Bruins lost, they needed a regulation win from the New Jersey Devils and one from either the Senators or the Winnipeg Jets.

The Senators helped out early Saturday afternoon, beating the New York Islanders 3-0 at UBS Arena on Long Island. Old friend Linus Ullmark made 23 saves in the shutout, while Ridly Greig, Jake Sanderson, and Michael Amadio scored for Ottawa.

Then the Devils beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday evening. The Red Wings jumped out to three leads, 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2, but the Devils scored three unanswered goals in the third period and eliminated the Red Wings from playoff contention.

The Bruins are 43-27-10 with two games left in the regular season. They currently sit in the second wild card, only behind the Senators, who also clinched a playoff spot with New Jersey’s win.

According to HockeyStats, the Bruins have a 68% chance of matching up against the Carolina Hurricanes in round one. There is a 23% chance it is the Sabres, a 5% chance it is the Lightning, and a 4% chance it is Montreal.

Regardless of how they got there, the Bruins are back in the postseason after a one-year absence.

Last time the Bruins made the playoffs, they beat the Maple Leafs in seven games before losing to the Panthers in six.