Bruins near clinch

The Boston Bruins are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs after clinching a spot on Saturday, April 11, even though they lost 2-1 to Tampa Bay. (espn.com) Boston entered the day in a simple spot: beat the Lightning at home and the berth was theirs. Instead, Emil Lilleberg scored with 95 seconds left, and the Bruins had to wait for help. (nesn.com) (espn.com) That help arrived hours later when Detroit lost in regulation to New Jersey, eliminating the Red Wings and locking Boston into the Eastern Conference field. Ottawa’s win over the New York Islanders also pushed the Bruins down to the second wild-card spot. (espn.com) (nhl.com) The clinch ends a one-year absence. Boston missed the postseason in 2024-25 with a 33-39-10 record after making it eight straight years before that. (nesn.com) This year’s turnaround came under first-year coach Marco Sturm. With two games left after Saturday, Boston sat on 96 points at 43-27-10 and had already secured a place in the bracket. (nesn.com) (espn.com) The standings were still moving even after the berth was settled. The National Hockey League playoff page listed Buffalo against Boston in the “if the playoffs started today” matchup, with Boston as the first wild card. (nhl.com) Saturday’s loss also stretched Boston’s skid to five games. Morgan Geekie scored the Bruins’ only goal, and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves against a Tampa Bay team that had already clinched. (espn.com) Boston’s regular season is not over yet. The Bruins visit Columbus on Sunday, April 12, and host New Jersey on Tuesday, April 14, before the playoffs open on April 18. (espn.com) (nhl.com) So the Bruins got in without the clean “win and in” finish they wanted. They still woke up Sunday with the only fact that counts in April: their season is continuing. (espn.com)