The Boston Bruins can clinch their second-straight Atlantic Division title and their third in the last five seasons on Tuesday night.
The Bruins took a five-point lead in the Atlantic Division with a 3-2 overtime win over the Florida Panthers this past Saturday. Per NHL public relations, the Bruins can now clinch the Atlantic Division on Tuesday if the following occurs:
The Bruins defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in any fashion, and both of the following occur:
- The Toronto Maple Leafs lose to the New JerseyDevils in any fashion
- The Panthers lose to the Ottawa Senators in regulation
If and when the Boston Bruins (46-17-15, 107 pts) do clinch the Atlantic Division, they would be locked into one of the top two spots in the Eastern Conference and slotted to play one of the two wild-card teams. Entering game action on Tuesday night, the Bruins trailed the New York Rangers (53-21-4, 110 pts) by three points for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the NHL overall. If the Bruins are not able to catch the Rangers in the standings and the Tampa Bay Lightning (43-27-7, 93 pts) don’t catch the Toronto Maple Leafs (45-23-9, 99 pts) for third place in the Atlantic Division, then the Bruins will host the Lightning in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven quarterfinals series.
This would be the Bruins’ fourth Atlantic Division title since the league realigned and renamed its four divisions before the 2013-14 season. The Boston Bruins were Atlantic Division and President’s Trophy winners that season, for the 2019-20 season and last season.
This is also the 27th division crown for the Boston Bruins in their 98-season history. The Bruins have won the Stanley Cup three times (1928-29, 1971-72, 2010-11) after winning their division.
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