Bruins clinch spot in 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Postseason hockey is coming back to Beantown.

Despite losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, the Boston Bruins officially clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Coming into the season, many in New England were hoping the Bruins could prove the 2024-25 campaign was a fluke. The team missed the playoffs, offloading a few key players, such as defenseman Brandon Carlo and captain Brad Marchand. Despite an ominous 3-6-0 start, Boston ramped things up in November, winning seven games in a row, inserting their name back into the playoff conversation.

A number of players have played vital roles in the B’s success this year, but no one has made more of an impact than David Pastrnak. The Czech sniper leads the team with 29 goals and 70 assists for 99 points, sitting fifth in the NHL in scoring, one point shy of hitting the century mark for the fourth consecutive season. Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha and defenseman Charlie McAvoy have all been key contributors for Boston as well.

It’s also helped that the goaltending has been better this year. After a bumpy 2024-25 campaign, Jeremy Swayman has had a much better performance this year, winning 30 of his 53 appearances thus far, posting a .907 save percentage.

While Boston is back in the playoffs, it will be considered an underdog heading into the first round. After Saturday’s action, the Bruins (43-27-10) are fifth in the Atlantic Division, but are six points back of the Montreal Canadiens for third, forcing them to settle for a Wild Card spot. If the playoffs were to start today, Boston, holding the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, would face the Metropolitan-leading Carolina Hurricanes in the division semifinals. The Bruins are technically tied with the Ottawa Senators at 96 points apiece, but the Sens hold the tiebreaker, which is why Ottawa has the first Wild Card spot.