What’s at stake in the NHL: Bruins can break single-season wins record

The NHL season is winding down, with less than two weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule. We’ve reached the point of the campaign at which some clinching or elimination scenario is seemingly in play every night, so we’ll keep you abreast on what to watch for each day between now and the end of the regular season.

All 32 teams competed Saturday, setting an NHL record, and several other milestones were struck, including Sidney Crosby’s 1,500^th point of his career and Connor McDavid’s 150^th point of the season. Meanwhile, the Boston bruins tied the single-season wins record.

What’s at stake in the standings for Sunday, April 9?

The Boston Bruins (62-12-5) won their 62^nd game of 2022-23 Saturday night, equaling the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL single-season record. But while Detroit and Tampa got their 62^nd wins in Game 82, Boston did it in Game 79. It gets three tries to break the single-season wins record, starting with a road game Sunday in Philadelphia. If the Bruins can’t hit the mark Sunday, they’ll get another chance against the Washington Capitals at home on Tuesday and against the Montreal Canadiens on the road on Thursday. With four more points over their final three games, the Bruins can also beat the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens’ single-season record of 132 points.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY…

Western Conference

(P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (WC2) Winnipeg Jets
(C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC1) Seattle Kraken
(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings
(C2) Dallas Stars vs. (C3) Minnesota Wild

Eastern Conference

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) New York Islanders
(M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) Florida Panthers
(M2) New Jersey Devils vs. (M3) New York Rangers
(A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (A3) Tampa Bay Lightning