Boston Bruins: Why They Will Hang on to Win the Northeast Division

For each of their last six games, the Boston Bruins have dressed nothing but NHL-ready players. They enter Tuesday night’s tilt with the Tampa Bay Lightning having won four of their last five, a feat they were last able to claim in the second week of January.

The turning point was most likely March 15, when in their first game in recent memory without any AHL-caliber stand-ins on the bench, a loss to Florida allowed the Ottawa Senators to the supplant them for first place in the Northeast Division.

That one-point lead, which the Sens attained the following night with a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens, lived to be just a little less than 18 hours old. The Bruins promptly pole-vaulted back into the top divisional seed and to second in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket with a 3-2 shootout triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers March 17.

Since then, the Senators have gone on a three-game losing streak, which they snapped over the weekend with an 8-4 win over Pittsburgh, followed by a Monday night victory in Winnipeg.

Boston has simultaneously won three out of four, giving them a three-point edge with two games in hand.

The way both teams are trending, but especially the Bruins, there is little reason to think the Northeast Division laurel will not stay in New England for another year. Regardless of what Ottawa does, Boston is back in control of itself and in control of its own destiny with less than two weeks and seven games left in the regular season.

The last two jutting question marks of late were tossed into the Zamboni snow Sunday night when the Bruins edged the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2. That game constituted versatile forward Rich Peverley’s first lick of extramural action since Feb. 15 and goaltender Marty Turco’s first start-to-finish outing and first winning effort since he was acquired to temporarily replace the ailing Tuukka Rask.

When they were slightly short on NHL-caliber forwards, the Bruins made an inevitable resort to the likes of professional sophomore Jordan Caron and deadline dark horse Brian Rolston. In time, though, Caron has grown to prove he need not expect a return to the AHL and Rolston is now riding a six-game production streak.

With Turco’s tangible token of confidence and still the possibility of giving Providence laborer Anton Khudobin his first Boston start, Tim Thomas does not need to compromise between physical breathers and peace of mind while he is on the bench. For the balance of the regular season, he will start when needed while his substitutes supplement the workload with a group of poised praetorian guards playing in front of them.

And in between the center-ice circle and the crease, the Bruins have another new face in Greg Zanon, who is proving himself a refreshing alternative to Joe Corvo. With this divisional derby in its final laps, the playoffs are virtually on already and Zanon’s physical style of play suits the circumstances.

Based on the strength of their remaining schedule and the well-timed rediscovery of their collective game, the Bruins ought to win no fewer than four, but likely five of their remaining games. As things stand now, they will need eight more points to cement the division as the Senators can finish with no more than 98 on the year.

Accordingly, Ottawa will need Boston to go pointless in no fewer than four of its remaining seven contests while the Sens win each of their remaining five. Either that or they will need to bank on the Bruins losing five or six in regulation if they fall short in one or two of their own.

For both teams in question, the penultimate game of the regular season will constitute the conclusion of their season series in Ottawa April 5. If there is still something at stake by then, it will be a virtual four-pointer.

But unless the Senators extend their winning streak to five games between now and then, odds are next Thursday’s meeting will be nothing more than a tune-up for a likely first-round encounter.

And whether it is the Senators, Devils, Capitals or Sabres, Bruins buffs can bet their blades the playoff opener will be at TD Garden.