The Bruins playoff schedule could take a sharp turn on April 14, when Boston can lock up Wild Card 1 with a win against the New Jersey Devils. If the Bruins get that result, they would set up a first-round matchup with the Atlantic Division champion Buffalo Sabres.
The Bruins are not the only team with something riding on the night. A Boston win would also lock the Ottawa Senators into Wild Card 2, sending Ottawa into a first-round meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes, the No. 1 seed in the East. That makes one game in New Jersey part of a much larger scoreboard watch across the conference.
April 14 also brings several other clinching paths that could settle the bracket before the final whistle. The Tampa Bay Lightning can secure home-ice advantage in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens if Montreal loses to the Philadelphia Flyers in regulation. The Vegas Golden Knights can do the same if the Anaheim Ducks lose to the Minnesota Wild, while the Utah Mammoth can claim Wild Card 1 if they beat the Winnipeg Jets and the Los Angeles Kings lose to the Vancouver Canucks.
There is still a wrinkle at the bottom of the race, where the Kings could finish as Wild Card 2 if they lose in regulation and the Ducks and Mammoth each pick up at least one point. That is what makes the night matter beyond Boston: one result can shift several seeds, change multiple first-round matchups and send teams into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with either home ice or a tougher road.
