The Eastern Conference playoff race has turned into a full-on sprint, and the Boston Bruins are right in the thick of it-whether they like it or not. Just a week ago, things were looking pretty rosy.
The Bruins had rattled off five straight wins and seemed to be gaining ground. But then came the Stadium Series trip to Florida, and with back-to-back shootout losses-first to the Panthers, then another stumble-the momentum they built nearly evaporated.
Now, the heat is on.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are surging, winning nine of their last ten. The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, closed out their pre-Olympic road trip with three straight wins.
That puts them just four and six points behind Boston, respectively. Suddenly, what looked like a comfortable cushion has turned into a precarious perch.
The Bruins are still in playoff position, but the margin for error is shrinking fast.
And when the Olympic break ends? There’s no easing back into the schedule.
The Bruins come out of the gate on February 26 with a home game against-who else?-the Blue Jackets. That one’s going to matter.
A lot. If Columbus grabs two points in regulation, they’ll not only close the gap, but also send a loud message that they’re not going away anytime soon.
The rest factor could also tilt things in Columbus’ favor. The Blue Jackets are sending just two players to Milan-goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (Latvia) and defenseman Zach Werenski (USA).
The Bruins? They’ve got nine players headed to the Olympics, and many of them could be playing deep into the medal rounds.
USA, Sweden, Finland, Czechia-those are teams expected to contend for gold or at least bronze. That means a lot of Boston’s core will be logging high-stakes minutes while the rest of the roster tries to stay sharp during the break.
Now, there’s a silver lining here. Those Olympic reps might keep the Bruins’ top guys in game shape, while Columbus could be knocking off some rust in that first post-break game.
But that’s only an edge if Boston comes out with the kind of urgency they lacked in that final game against Florida. If they don’t?
It might not matter who’s in better rhythm.
As it stands, the Bruins still have a 61.9% chance of making the playoffs, per MoneyPuck. That’s not bad, but it’s far from a lock.
There’s some belief that Columbus’ hot streak under their new coach might taper off after the Olympics, and Toronto-despite being just six points back-could be leaning toward selling at the deadline. So Boston isn’t in full-blown panic mode yet.
Still, there’s work to do. The Bruins need to start climbing, not just holding on.
The Atlantic Division is crowded, but the Sabres, Canadiens, and Red Wings are all within reach. If Boston wants to avoid being the team that gets caught in the late-season shuffle, they need to move up and out of that last wild card spot.
Because here’s the thing: some of the teams chasing them aren’t going to slow down. And if the Bruins stay idle, they’re the ones most likely to get leapfrogged. There was some chatter earlier in the season about whether the front office should consider selling at the deadline, but this group has shown too much promise-and frankly, too much fun-to pull the plug now.
The path to the playoffs is still wide open. But the Bruins are going to have to earn every inch of it.