The Boston Bruins have clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in head coach Marco Sturm’s first season at the helm.
WE’RE IN! 🐻 📈
THE #NHLBruins ARE HEADED BACK TO THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS! pic.twitter.com/CnE611yZHa
— NESN (@NESN) April 11, 2026
The road was not easy for Sturm’s squad. Saturday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was the team’s fifth-straight time coming up short. Despite their late-season woes, thanks to the New Jersey Devils beating the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators shutting out the New York Islanders, Boston’s place in the postseason is cemented.
They are eliminated from earning a nod in the Atlantic Division and will be representing the Eastern Conference as a Wild Card team.
The final two games of the season are massively important for the Bruins. The difference between the No. 1 Wild Card seed and the No. 2 Wild Card seed is a trip to Buffalo or Carolina.
The Carolina Hurricanes are a well-oiled playoff machine. This season marked a franchise-record eighth consecutive appearance.
The Buffalo Sabres, on the other hand, just snapped the American record for longest playoff drought in professional sports history. They are an unproven crew, and to make matters worse, the Bruins took the season series 3-1 in the regular season.
The Bruins are not in the driver’s seat to control their Wild Card seeding, but winning out could go a long way.
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