Here's a quick look at tonight's games and what they mean for the Bruins' chances at clinching a playoff spot:
Standings and magic numbers:
As of this morning, here are the teams that the Bruins are within range of, and what that looks like. Grid on the right with orange and green is team vs. team Magic Numbers. A Magic Number is the number of points that the team on the left has to get to clinch a spot above the team on the top. So, the Flyers can ensure they finish above Detroit with 6 points (or Detroit losing out on 6 points of their last few games).
Place | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | ROW | Pot | Max | NYI | TBL | Phi | DET | BOS |
WC1 | New York Islanders | 78 | 43 | 26 | 9 | 95 | 38 | 8 | 103 | -- | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
FE2 | TBL Lightning | 79 | 45 | 29 | 5 | 95 | 42 | 6 | 101 | 8 | -- | 4 | 2 | 1 |
WC2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 78 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 91 | 36 | 8 | 99 | 12 | 10 | -- | 6 | 5 |
FE3 | Detroit Red Wings | 79 | 40 | 28 | 11 | 91 | 38 | 6 | 97 | 12 | 10 | 8 | -- | 5 |
Out | Boston Bruins | 79 | 41 | 30 | 8 | 90 | 37 | 6 | 96 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | -- |
Most Important Game: Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes
You can't make the playoffs without getting points yourself. As you can see above, the Bruins are out if everyone loses out for the rest of the season. Philadelphia and Detroit aren't playing tonight, so a Bruins win would slide them up into third in the Flortheast for a day. A Regulation or Overtime win would tie them with Detroit in ROW, the first tiebreaker, as well.
Second-most-important game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
With a single point, Tampa can clinch a higher finish than the Bruins and work their way off that spreadsheet below.
Third-most important game: New York Islanders at Washington Capitals
With a single point, the Islanders can clinch a higher finish than the Bruins and put that first Wildcard spot out of reach officially.
These are the only games that matter for Bruins fans on the schedule tonight.