The 2016 NHL playoffs are inching closer every day. And while the Western Conference field is set, the East remains very much in flux.
With only a few games left to go, the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings are still jockeying for wild card position. One of the three teams will ultimately be left out of the NHL's second act.
For the Bruins, their shellacking of the Red Wings Thursday ultimately meant little. Why? Because the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn't keep the Philadelphia Flyers from scoring with about a minute left in their own game.
At one point, the Leafs were leading the Flyers by a score of 3-1, while the Bruins were simultaneously up on the Wings and periodically lengthening their lead over Detroit. And while Boston has to be feeling good after manhandling the Wings in that fashion, the Flyers' ability to grab that single point from the Leafs keeps their playoff future in their hands, while the Bruins are left hoping against hope that Philadelphia continues to stumble.
"Well, that's the way it is," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "I said that before and I'm not going to change my tune here: We created that situation, so now we've got to live with it, take care of business the best we can, and still continue to hope for some breaks."
Really, the Bruins may not have to hope all that hard, because the Flyers, who spent the last few weeks building up their draft stock, have suddenly been deflated, suffering three losses in succession to the Penguins, the Red Wings in a crucial game that could have solidified their wild card positioning, and then Thursday against Toronto.
But either way, the Bruins are left hoping.
Now one point ahead of the Flyers for the final wild card spot, they need to take care of their own business on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators and then hope that the Flyers lose one of their next two games, which, for Philadelphia, suddenly looks like a tall task.
Not only are the Flyers suddenly playing poorly, they've got two difficult games, against the red hot Penguins and the injury-plagued, but playoff-bound Islanders, next on the docket.
The Bruins are in a playoff position, but it may not last. Or they'll find themselves a postseason entrant by the end of the day Saturday.
Such is life on the NHL playoff bubble.
