Will an untimely, late-season collapse prevent the Boston Bruins from making the playoffs? Their fate could be decided Thursday night (7 PM ET, NBCSN) when they host the Detroit Red Wings in a pivotal Atlantic Division clash. The Red Wings have won six of their last nine games to seize third place from Boston, who went 2-7 during the same span. This will be Game No. 81 of the regular season for both clubs.
The Bruins (41-30-8) have performed better overall than the Wings (40-28-11) this year, posting a plus-13 goal differential to Detroit's minus-11. However, Boston netminder Tuukka Rask (.915 save percentage) has been inconsistent this year, and the defense in front of him has been thinned out by lower-body injuries to Kevan Miller and Dennis Seidenberg. Both are listed as day-to-day.
Detroit (40-28-11) is making this late playoff push with Jimmy Howard (.906 SV%) taking over the No. 1 goalie spot and Petr Mrazek (.920 SV%) settling for back-up duties. This will be the second of back-to-back contests for the Wings; at press time, Howard is projected to start both games, but that could certainly change as we get closer to the opening face-off.
NHL : Bruins Host Wings with Playoffs on the Line
The Boston Bruins (41-30-8) picked a bad time to start slumping. After losing seven of their last nine games, their playoff fate could hang in the balance Thursday night when they welcome the Detroit Red Wings (40-28-11) to the Garden. Game time is 7 PM ET on NBCSN.
The Red Wings have won six of their last nine to take the third spot in the Atlantic Division away from the Bruins, who are also one point out of a Wild Card berth in the Eastern Conference. Each team will have one game left to play in the regular season following Thursday's clash.
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