With their recent point against the St. Louis Blues, the Boston Bruins clinch a spot in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The end of the year will determine where they are seeded within the Eastern Conference. With 10 games left, the Bruins are tied for most games remaining as of now – meaning that they possess the power to either stay in their spot, rise, or fall in the standings.
Potential First Round Matchups After Boston Bruins Clinch Playoff Spot
Staying or Dropping One Spot
The most likely scenario is that the Bruins stay in the second spot in the Atlantic and match up against the Toronto Maple Leafs – a team that has used their youth to propel them into third in the Atlantic Division. What this means for the Bruins is that they would have to post at least an average record in their final 10 games in order to keep the five-point buffer. If the Bruins were to drop one spot, they would still play the Leafs, just without home-ice advantage.
A Bruins-Maple Leafs matchup in the first round would be an excellent series for any hockey fan. The Leafs have used young talents like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to get them into the third spot in the Atlantic. Meanwhile, the Bruins have relied on veterans like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and even the newly added Rick Nash and Brian Gionta to compliment some up and coming young players.
The goaltending matchup of Tuukka Rask and Frederik Andersen would be interesting to watch. Rask has a 30-11-5 record on the season, a 2.35 goals against average, and a .916 save percentage. After the Bruins let Anton Khudobin carry some of the weight of goaltending, Rask has been ready to put up better numbers. Out of seasons that he’s played over 25 games, this season has been his third-best over the course of his 11-year career.
On the other end of the ice will be Andersen, who is 34-19-5 this season with a goals against average of 2.80 and a save percentage of .918. This season, Andersen has posted his worst GAA over the course of his five-year career. However, this has been more indicative of his heavy workload, as his save percentage is right at his career average. He is even on pace to face more shots than ever before – just 47 shots away from his career high.
In the last seven games, the Bruins have a 1-5-1 record against the Leafs. The youth of the Leafs has appeared to emerge victorious over the more experienced Bruins roster, but the playoffs require a lot more than just speed and skill. Revamping the team with core veterans gives the Bruins a few players who are used to the grind of a playoff series.
The last time the two teams met in the playoffs was during the 2013 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. That matchup between the Bruins and Leafs made for an unforgettable story and renewed a rivalry between the Original Six teams.
Stealing the Top Seed
A possible situation is that the Bruins tear up their 10 remaining games and fly past the Tampa Bay Lightning to claim the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Lately, the Bruins have not been showing signs that they will accomplish such a task, but it is a possibility. Doing so would likely land them a matchup against the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers or the Florida Panthers, depending on how the rest of the season plays out for all three of those teams.
A series against New Jersey would be favourable for the Bruins, as they have won the last four games against them. The last time the Bruins lost back-to-back games against the Devils was in the 2009-10 season when. Even then, the Bruins still took one point in a shootout. But again, the history books don’t matter in the playoffs.
Meeting Philadelphia would give the Bruins a tough opponent who found a hot streak late in the season. The Bruins have won four straight against the Flyers, but their potential opponent is showing signs of being a completely different team, including captain Claude Giroux. Giroux’s success can be summed up by his passing of Eric Lindros for fifth place on the Flyers all-time points leaderboard.
Florida would be an interesting matchup for the Bruins. Between March and April, the two teams will meet four times – which gives both teams a sample of what their opponent is at this time of the year. The Panthers took the first matchup this season, but the last time they’ve beaten the Bruins twice in a row was the 2006-07 season. Additionally, the home crowd at TD Garden would love to see Roberto Luongo again in a playoff series.
What’s Next for Boston
With the season winding down, the good news for the Bruins is that they are in control of their own future. But out of their 10 games, nine come against teams that are either in or trying to claim a playoff spot. The end of the season very well could be an indication of how their first playoff series goes.
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