The Boston Bruins are headed to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after failing to qualify final season.
But as they enter their common season finale in opposition to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday evening at TD Garden, each their playoff seed and first-round opponent stay TBD.
Let’s check out the place the B’s stand within the wild card race and which groups they might face in Round 1.
Bruins’ most likely seed
The Bruins are unable to complete top-three within the Atlantic Division, so they’ll find yourself within the first or second wild card spot.
Boston enters Tuesday within the first wild card place with a one-point lead over the Ottawa Senators. That means the Bruins would clinch the No. 1 wild card berth with a win of any type in opposition to the Devils within the common season finale.
The B’s want to complete forward of the Senators by at the very least one level to safe the highest wild card spot as a result of Ottawa owns the primary tiebreaker with a 37-32 edge in regulation wins.
Both the Bruins and Senators have yet another recreation remaining. Ottawa’s finale is in opposition to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday evening, so if the Bruins lose in any trend to the Devils, they will want to attend 24 hours earlier than their seed is finalized.
In abstract: The Bruins end as high wild card group with any form of win vs. Devils. The B’s could be the second wild card group if the Senators end tied or forward of them within the standings. Ottawa is at the moment one level behind the Bruins.
For what it is price, MoneyPuck‘s and HockeyStats‘ analytics fashions each venture the Bruins to complete as the primary wild card group.
Bruins’ most likely first-round opponents
There are two potential first-round opponents for the Bruins. If they end as the primary wild card group, they will play the Sabres. If they end because the second wild card group, they will play the Hurricanes.
The best path to the Eastern Conference Final might be by way of the Metropolitan Division. A path consisting of the Hurricanes within the first spherical and both the Penguins or Flyers within the second spherical is rather less treacherous than a path that features the Sabres within the first spherical and the Lightning or Canadiens within the second spherical.
The Lightning characterize the hardest matchup for the Bruins, so it could be perfect for them to keep away from Tampa Bay so long as doable.
The Bruins have performed each the Lightning and Hurricanes within the playoffs pretty lately. They have not performed the Canadiens within the postseason since 2014, and the final Bruins-Sabres playoff collection was in 2010. Seeing one or each of these rivalries get reignited could be enjoyable.
