The Boston Bruins‘ approach to the trade deadline indicated that perhaps management thought this wasn’t their year, and they would add some future assets for a quick reload this offseason.
But as the chips fall on Monday, the Bruins still have a chance to make the playoffs.
That all begins with a game against the lottery-bound Buffalo Sabres Monday night (7 p.m., ESPN+). A win in that one closes the gap between Boston and the current first wild card, the New York Rangers. The Rangers have 72 points and 30 regulation wins through 68 games, while Boston is at 68 and 23 through 68.
After Buffalo, it’s a road trip through Nevada and California (Golden Knights on Thursday, Sharks on Saturday, Kings on Sunday and Ducks on Wednesday, March 26). All told, the Bruins will play teams currently in playoff position in six of the final 13 games after the matchup with the Sabres; the final five, in particular, could be a spot to make up ground, with two against the injury-struck Devils along with single games against the Sabres, Blackhawks and Penguins.
To be clear, this would be a long shot; in addition to going on a hot streak, the Bruins will need to jump ahead of four teams (which would all need to get cold, in this hypothetical). Stathletes isn’t so sure all of that will fall into place, giving the Bruins a 2.4% chance of making the postseason. But stranger things have happened in recent seasons!
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 58 Regulation wins: 21 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 16 Points pace: 72.1 Next game: vs. STL (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 18
Points: 49 Regulation wins: 17 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 60.0 Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 7
Pacific Division
Points: 86 Regulation wins: 36 Playoff position: P1 Games left: 15 Points pace: 105.3 Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday) Playoff chances: 99.9% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: P2 Games left: 15 Points pace: 100.4 Next game: vs. UTA (Tuesday) Playoff chances: 99.8% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81 Regulation wins: 31 Playoff position: P3 Games left: 17 Points pace: 102.2 Next game: @ MIN (Monday) Playoff chances: 99.8% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: WC2 Games left: 15 Points pace: 89.3 Next game: vs. WPG (Tuesday) Playoff chances: 41.1% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 89.6 Next game: @ TOR (Monday) Playoff chances: 18.7% Tragic number: 33
Points: 65 Regulation wins: 21 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 79.6 Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday) Playoff chances: 0.1% Tragic number: 23
Points: 63 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 14 Points pace: 76.0 Next game: @ CHI (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 19
Points: 45 Regulation wins: 13 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 14 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 1
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.