On Tuesday, April 2, the Boston Bruins cruised past the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2. Forward Jake DeBrusk scored two goals and added an assist to give him 27 goals and 14 assists on the season. Left wing Brad Marchand picked up goal 36 of the season and surpassed 100 points, becoming the 10th player in Bruins history with a 100-point season. Center David Pastrnak picked up his 37th goal of the season. Goaltender Tuukka Rask made 32 saves and picked up the win in net for the Bruins.
On Thursday, April 4, the Bruins shut out the Minnesota Wild 3-0 at the Xcel Energy Center. Jaroslav Halak made 26 saves and picked up his fifth shutout of the season. Right wing Zach Sensyshyn scored on an open net late in the third in his NHL debut for Boston. The Bruins will have home-ice advantage against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
On Saturday, April 6, the Bruins fell to the first place Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 in Boston. The Lightning’s 62nd victory in the final game of the regular season matched the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings, who went 62-13 with seven ties. The Lightning won six shootouts on their way to the 62-win total. Right wing Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist to set the single-season NHL point record for a Russia-born player for the Lightning (62-16-4), who will have home ice throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kucherov, the NHL’s leading scorer, finished with 128 points (41 goals and 87 assists), to pass Alexander Mogilny, who had 127 points (76 goals and 51 assists) for the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93.
Players of The Month March
The first star of the month of March was the Edmonton Oilers’ captain, center Connor McDavid. McDavid had seven goals and 20 assists in 14 games played in the month of March.
The second star of the month is Sergei Bobrovsky, goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 13 games he went 9-4-0 and recorded four shutouts. He had a 1.74 goals against average and a .940 save percentage.
The third star of the month is Marchand. He recorded nine goals and 14 assists in 15 games played in the month of March to help the Bruins capture second place in the Atlantic Division.
Current Playoff Picture
The Tampa Bay Lightning (62-16-4) will face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (46-31-4). The Lightning won the regular season series beating the Blue Jackets three times. Both teams are 6-3-1 in the last ten games and have both won their last two games.
The Boston Bruins (49-24-9) will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs (46-28-7) in the first round of playoffs. The Bruins led the season series against the Maple Leafs 3-1-0, beating them 5-1, 6-3, 3-2 and losing one game 4-2. The Bruins are 6-4-0 in their last ten games while the Maple Leafs are 3-5-2 in their last ten games.
The Washington Capitals (48-25-8) will host the Carolina Hurricanes (45-29-7) in the first round of the playoffs. The Capitals won the season series 4-0-0, now 6-3-1 in their last ten games while the Hurricanes are 6-4-0 in their last ten games. The Capitals are 6-3-1 in their last ten games and the Hurricanes are 6-4-0 in their last ten games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (44-26-11) will play the New York Islanders (47-27-7) in the first round of the playoffs. The two teams split the regular season series 2-2. The Penguins are 5-3-2 in their last ten games and the Islanders are 6-4-0 in their last ten games.
The first place Calgary Flames (50-24-7) will host the Colorado Avalanche (38-29-14) in the first round of the playoffs. The Flames won the season series 3-0-0, now 6-4-0 in their last ten games while the Avalanche are 8-0-2 in their last ten.
The San Jose Sharks (45-27-9) will play the Vegas Golden Knights (43-31-7) in the first round of the playoffs. Their regular season series split 2-2. The Sharks are 2-7-1 in their last ten games and the Golden Knights are 4-4-2 in their last ten games.
The Nashville Predators (46-29-6) will play the Dallas Stars (42-32-7) in the first round of the playoffs. The Predators came out on top in their regular season series against the Stars going 3-2-0. Going into the playoffs, the Predators are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and the Stars are 5-3-2 in their last ten games.
The Winnipeg Jets (46-30-5) will play the St. Louis Blues (44-28-9) in the first round of the playoffs. The Jets won the regular season series against the Blues 3-1-0. The Jets are 4-5-1 in their last ten games and the Blues are 7-1-2 in their last ten games.
