Sportsnet Is Atlantic playoff race already over?

[Fenway]

In my decades of following the Bruins I can not recall a scenario like this with three months to go not only does a playoff spot seem likely but also what the first round matchup will be.

Maple Leafs Universe despises the Bruins more than any team in the NHL - even Montreal. Leafs and Habs have no recent playoff history, in fact they have not met since 1979. The Bruins????? Oh I think we know the game that fans under the age of 45 in Toronto remember.



Here is the reality - BOTH teams will make moves not so much to win the Cup but to survive that first round. I don't think home ice is a big factor as home teams in the NHL are not a lock in a Game 7.

Down Goes Brown Weekend Wrap: Is Atlantic playoff race already over?

This is a weird question to ask before the season has even hit the halfway mark, but we’ll ask it anyway: Is the Atlantic Division playoff race already over?

There’s a case to be made. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the league’s best team, and are holding a 10-point lead for first place in the division. That’s not insurmountable, but it’s pretty darn comfortable, especially when every other division is within three points. We can already pencil the Lightning in for the division’s top seed.

While we’ve got that pencil out, we might as well go ahead and add the Bruins and Leafs in second and third. We don’t know the order there yet, with the two teams tied (although Boston has three games in hand), but the two teams seem locked into those two spots. If so, that gives us our first playoff matchup, although we may not know for a while who’d have home-ice advantage.

That leaves five Atlantic teams to work with, and man, what a mess the rest of the division is.

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[smithformeragent]

Yes.

I found myself thinking that very thing over the weekend.

 

[ODAAT]

I won`t allow myself to go there, just seen too many collapses (not talking specifically about only the B`s) I`m not going to jinx things

 

[Dueling Banjos]

Let's look at Montreal, they have 36 pts in 39 games.

They ll play 43 more games and would have to collect 60 points out of 86 available to reach the 96 points mark. Not going to happen.

 

[Fenway]

I won`t allow myself to go there, just seen too many collapses (not talking specifically about only the B`s) I`m not going to jinx things

Obviously injuries can change things but the only team below us with a pulse is Florida. Ottawa is in tatters and Montreal is a dumpster fire.

 

[ODAAT]

Obviously injuries can change things but the only team below us with a pulse is Florida. Ottawa is in tatters and Montreal is a dumpster fire.

The likelihood of our boys being outside of a playoff spot is exceptionally slim, just being my inner,ultra cautious Claude Julien here

 

[Fenway]

The likelihood of our boys being outside of a playoff spot is exceptionally slim, just being my inner,ultra cautious Claude Julien here

Oh I understand your feelings completely.

Later this month we play Poutineville 3 times in a week - then we will know what we have here.

 

[BruinsBtn]

The Leafs will choke and Florida will catch them. Toronto hasn't been a good team for awhile.

That said, I'd rather play the Leafs in the playoffs, that defence is dreadful.

 

[gvkmedia]

Living in Leaf land and having brothers who are avid - it seems they relish the idea of playing us in round 1. They want revenge. They feel it is there time.

Bring it on.

 

[LouJersey]

Florida is too close to call it a finished race.

 

[finchster]

Leafs fans hate the Bruins more than Montreal. Montreal and Toronto rivalry is like two brothers or two friends trying to best each other. Sure they want the bragging rights, but it isn't bitter. Game 7 against Toronto will haunt some fans forever, especially because it could've been a franchise changing moment with that team. Then Bruins have impressed and even looked better when we played Tampa, I think the Bruins can win the division. We had alot of injuries at the start of the year. If Tampa has a few, we can catch up in a hurry.

 

[DominicT]

Tampa is an injury away from dropping to second or third.

Glad he used a pencil.

Vasilevskiy's career high in games is 50. How many can he handle?

 

[smithformeragent]

I also think it’s safe to stop using US Thanksgiving as any sort of measuring checkpoint at this time.

 

[TP]

I'm scared

 

[3rdLiner]

Leafs fans hate the Bruins more than Montreal. Montreal and Toronto rivalry is like two brothers or two friends trying to best each other. Sure they want the bragging rights, but it isn't bitter. Game 7 against Toronto will haunt some fans forever, especially because it could've been a franchise changing moment with that team. Then Bruins have impressed and even looked better when we played Tampa, I think the Bruins can win the division. We had alot of injuries at the start of the year. If Tampa has a few, we can catch up in a hurry.

I guess, the Montreal thing is more bitter and I hate that team more than Toronto. But the Toronto fans are so much worse.

 

[Paddington]

I guess, the Montreal thing is more bitter and I hate that team more than Toronto. But the Toronto fans are so much worse.

Pretty much this. Living in Toronto, I grew up hating the Leafs, more because I couldn't stand the constant ragging from my friends than because of the actual team. My "hatred" for the team has subsided for many years but I'm sure it'll come back in a hurry if they continue to improve. Especially given the current playoff format.

The Habs are the Habs, though. They get their own level of hatred unequalled by any franchise in any sport. It has even bled into other sports. As a Toronto FC fan, the Impact drive me bananas.

 

[Bmessy]

4 games left vs FLA
4 games left vs MTL

I'm confident we won't blow anything but you never know. Pretty sure we went 0-10 versus Ottawa and Toronto last year. As long as we don't pull that versus FLA and MTL this year we should be ok.

 

[BruinLVGA]

I don’t think it’s over at all. For example, I remember a couple of years ago or so, Ottawa pulled a major run in the last 25-30 games and got in. This could very well happen anytime.

Plus, fight the jinx.

 

[Sheppy]

I'd love to see the Bruins sweep Montreal, and win the remaining against Toronto.

 

[Gee Wally]

I'm with Yogi Berra on this one.

 

[22Brad Park]

Bruins need to keep plugging away playing to a man for the logo on the front.Its the only way .Whistle to whistle game to game.Take nothing for granted

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

I want to make it through Habs week first before I consider the Canadians dead . I love the fact that a Bruins - Leafs first round matchup is looming . It will be highly entertaining and just about everybody will be watching and I like our chances .

 

[22Brad Park]

Tampa is an injury away from dropping to second or third.

Glad he used a pencil.

Vasilevskiy's career high in games is 50. How many can he handle?

Talbot same thing last year if I am correct.Catching up to him now .Very good point .

 

[3rdLiner]

Pretty much this. Living in Toronto, I grew up hating the Leafs, more because I couldn't stand the constant ragging from my friends than because of the actual team. My "hatred" for the team has subsided for many years but I'm sure it'll come back in a hurry if they continue to improve. Especially given the current playoff format.

The Habs are the Habs, though. They get their own level of hatred unequalled by any franchise in any sport. It has even bled into other sports. As a Toronto FC fan, the Impact drive me bananas.

I think Habs fans have at least a level of implied respect, much of that was earned during the 08-11 years. They hated you but they acknowledged that the Bruins players were good. Toronto fans just have to think that they have the best of the best at every position. Feels like Habs fans are more honest/smarter. They hate you but they arent imbeciles.

I really, really want to win a round against Toronto this year.

 

[talkinaway]

I'm not sure about the other teams, but I know we played mostly Western Conference teams in October. I'm sure the schedule is tilted that way for everyone to a degree (so that March and April have games where points are at a premium), but I don't remember it being quite as extreme in the recent past.

Of course, that means we could have a lot of 4-point games late in the season...but that depends on another team catching us when we're 11 points over 0.500. If Florida plays 0.600 from here out, which is about a 98 point pace, they get to 92 points. If we drop to just a 0.500 point pace in our remaining games (which admittedly would be indicative of catastrophe, injury, or both), we get 93 points. That's not a big buffer.