This Saturday Bruins-Lightning Game Could Mean a Lot For Boston’s Playoff Hopes originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Bruins are back on the ice Saturday for a big Atlantic Division test in Tampa, and yes, one quick programming reminder before anything else: because the Red Sox are also playing Saturday afternoon, Bruins-Lightning will air onNESN+ rather than the main NESN channel. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. ET in Tampa, with the game also available on NESN 360.

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Boston comes into the matchup at 43-25-8 after its four-game winning streak was snapped in a 2-1 loss to Florida on Thursday, while Tampa Bay enters at 47-22-6 after a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh. That makes this one feel bigger than a normal late-season game, especially with the Bruins still trying to lock down their postseason spot and improve their seed.

Three things to watch in Bruins vs. Lightning

1. The playoff-race pressure on Boston
This is the big one for the Bruins. Boston still has breathing room, but not enough to relax. The Bruins are six points ahead of Columbus, Detroit, Ottawa, and Philly for the first wild card in the East and only four points behind Montreal for third place in the Atlantic, with the Canadiens holding a game in hand. After the loss to Florida, Boston is still well-positioned in the wild-card race, so two points in Tampa would help steady things again and keep pressure on the teams above them.

2. Can the Bruins get to the dirty areas against Andrei Vasilevskiy?
After Thursday’s loss, Bruins coach Marco Sturm said Boston simply did not generate enough net-front offense and stressed that this time of year, teams have to score the ugly goals. That matters even more against a Lightning team allowing 2.77 goals per game, with Vasilevskiy projected to start. If Boston is going to leave Tampa with points, this probably cannot be a perimeter-heavy night. It has to look more like a playoff-style road game, with traffic, second chances and rebound finishes.

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3. Boston’s defense against Tampa’s star power
The Lightning still bring major firepower, with projected top-six forwards including Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel. Boston’s projected pairings have Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov and Hampus Lindholm carrying a lot of that defensive burden in front of Jeremy Swayman. One wrinkle to watch: Tampa is still expected to be without Victor Hedman, while Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei remains day to day. That could put even more focus on execution, puck management and which team handles the high-danger moments better.

Why this matchup feels bigger than one game

There is also a little revenge angle here. Tampa Bay leads the regular-season series 2-0, and the teams will see each other again on April 11, so Boston has a chance to change the tone of that matchup before the final week of the regular season. A strong road showing would not just help in the standings, it would also remind everyone that the Bruins are still capable of hanging with one of the East’s better teams.