The Boston Bruins can still win the Atlantic Division and extended home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference with a win Sunday over the Florida Panthers.
All that is possible after a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Boston Saturday.
The Bruins can now overtake the Tampa Bay Lighting Sunday in the NHL’s final regular season game.
“I would not have thought that,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said about believing Boston could challenge for the top spot in the conference when the season started. “I mean let’s face it, we were trying to find our own game and get to where we thought we were at the start of the year, which was definitely a playoff team. We just didn’t know where we’d fit, and the way Tampa got out of the gate, and [the] Toronto [Maple Leafs] too, so that mattered, it was going to be an uphill battle.
“And here we are. We’re in a position to take it. And that’s a credit to the guys. We’ve worked hard to get here. This wasn’t by accident. We didn’t back in.”
Anton Khudobin made 26 saves to get the win and snap a three-game skid for the Bruins.
David Pastrnak, Tommy Wingels, Danton Heinen, and Noel Acciari scored for the Bruins.
“That’s why you play the game, you want to play to win and to be at your best,” Patrice Bergeron said of playing for first in the division. “We’re in a position where we can win the conference and it’s a big feat, and obviously home ice, we always talk about how big it is. And why not? We’re right there and we’ll see.”
David Backes scored an empty-netter late to seal it.
Ryan Dzingel scored both Senators’ goals.
[WATCH:Â All Senators vs. Bruins highlights]
Daniel Taylor took the loss on 30 saves.
“This is as tough as it gets to finish a year,” Senators head coach Guy Boucher said. “[Friday] we got Pittsburgh [on the road] and the game (a 4-0 loss) means everything. And as you know, we got a lot of young guys and some big names missing, and it could have been easy [Friday] or today to come up with a poor effort or a lack of commitment, but it was the opposite. Today we fought hard.”
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