A win over potential the postseason opponent New York Rangers gave the Boston Bruins home ice advantage for the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bruins will go into the postseason as the top team in the East, and are just one game behind NHL-best San Jose. The Bruins will make a run for the President’s Trophy in the next four games, traveling to Ottawa tonight, hosting Montreal at the Garden on Thursday April 9th, going to Buffalo on Saturday April 11th, and finishing the season with a road game against the Islanders on Sunday April 12th.

Boston Bruins Playoff Tickets are available now!

The NHL Playoff Matchups are set.  The eight top teams in the Eastern Conference are ready to fight for the chance to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup.

1. Montreal Canadiens vs 8. Boston Bruins

The Canadiens have owned the Bruins  recently, sweeping the 8-game season series by a margin of 44-16, and winning the last 11 total games.  The B’s will be getting Patrice Bergeron back in time for game one, which comes at the same time as the Canadiens suffering some pre-playoff injuries.  This may be the edge they need to keep this series competitive.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs 7. Ottawa Senators

The tag team of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby face off against the faltering Senators.  The former Eastern Conference 1st place team has come up lame recently, but is still nearly the same team that made it to the Stanley Cup final a year ago, and went 15-2 to start the year. The Pens are still the heavy favorites in this series.

3. Washington Capitals vs 6. Philadelphia Flyers

The Washington Capitals were essentially dead in the water at midseason.  Alexander Ovechkin led the Caps back into playoff contention, winning nine of the last ten games and locking up the number three seed in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers finished dead last in the East least year.  This year they have been consistent throughoutall season, gaining a number six seed.  The Flyers’ chances looked a bit better against the Hurricanes, who blew their playoff spot in the waning days of the season.  The Caps are the early favorites in this matchup.

4. New Jersey Devils vs 5. New York Rangers

Formidable goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist meet up in this Tri-State series.  The Rangers have had more offensive firepower as of late, but the Devils’ D has been solid in the stretch.  Look for low scores and exhausted top lines in this series.  The Rangers hope that Chris Drury will provide some playoff magic, while the Devils look to season finale hero Patrik Elias to provide an advantage in the shootout.

The NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs are about to start!

The Boston Bruins are on a tear.  Their Saturday matinee win over the Atlanta Thrashers was their 6th straight.  The B’s have used this streak to close the gap between themselves and the recently struggling Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators.  Currently the Bruins sit in 6th place, tied with the surging New York Rangers.  Phil Kessel showed his shootout prowess again, scoring the game winner for the black and gold.

Monday night the Bruins will match up against the Washington Capitals on the road.

The Boston Bruins won their fourth straight game last night beating the Ottawa Senators 4-0 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. The Bruins pounced on a struggling Senators team scoring their first goal within the first six minutes. Thornton, Krejci and Chara were the goal scorers for the Bruins. Tim Thomas recorded his 2nd shutout of the year with 22 saves.

The Bruins are playing great hockey of late and currently hold the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Last night’s win bumped the New York Rangers into the number 7 spot in the East. The two teams are tied with 72 points each. With such a tight race in the East the Bruins, like all teams near or over the playoff threshold, need to keep winning if they want to stay in the hunt.

The Bruins will host the Penguins on Thursday 2/28 at the Garden.

Recap: It’s no surprise to find the Ottawa Senators at the top of the pack in the Eastern Conference. Their up-tempo, aggressive style of hockey has given them a reputation to be a tough opponent on the road, and almost unbeatable at home where they have sold out the last 19 games. The Senators are not shy to shoot the puck, averaging 31 shots a game through their first 49 contests. Leading the charge are right-wingman Daniel Alfredsson, left-wingman Dany Heatly, and center Jason Spezza. The trio has combined for 171 total points on the ice thus far and do not expect for those numbers to drop off anytime soon.

2nd Half – The Senators will have no problem reaching the Eastern Conference playoffs but they have their eye on that number one seed. If the team stays healthy, and the offensive barrage continues they should have no problem fending off other Eastern Conference challengers.

Team Name: Ottawa Senators (30-15-4)

Northeast Division Standing: 1st place

Conference Standing: 1st place

Final Predictions: 1st in Northeast Division, 1st in Eastern Conference