It most definitely was not how the Boston Bruins wanted to punch their ticket for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the B’s are back in the postseason all the same after dropping a disappointing 2-1 matinee to the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon.
It was their fifth straight loss after squandering a 1-0 lead headed into the final 20 minutes, and finished off a season series where they fell in all four games to Tampa Bay in very close fashion, just like Saturday’s afternoon tilt. Hours later, the B’s knew they had clinched a playoff spot when the Detroit Red Wings lost in regulation to a spoiler New Jersey Devils club, but none of it was cause for a joyous occasion, backing into a Stanley Cup playoff spot as losers of their last five straight games.
Bruins odds for their first round Stanley Cup playoff opponent to start the day, per Hockey Stats. Sabres would be the ideal first round opponent for B’s, IMHO pic.twitter.com/AkbPXBKIR6
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) April 12, 2026
“We were hoping for a big day and afternoon here in Boston. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” said Marco Sturm in the minutes following Saturday’s loss. “Again, we have to look at the positives. The positive for me is we still have two games left, [everything is] still in our control. We’re going to get back at it tomorrow.”
Clearly, the B’s hit a rough patch late in the season that will cast a temporary pall over qualifying for the playoffs during an otherwise impressive rebound season, but the other side of that coin is that the Black and Gold ended up eventually clinching because they were excellent when they absolutely had to be coming out of the Olympic break. That run of quality play left them with a sizeable playoff cushion headed into the season’s final weeks when other teams were scrambling, or failing, in their playoff bid.
The other part of that equation is Morgan Geekie heating up again with his fourth goal in the last two games as Boston’s only offensive output on Saturday against a veteran, skilled Tampa Bay team that would give the B’s headaches in any kind of postseason series.
Geekie now 38 goals for the season and has an outside shot of hitting 40 goals for the first time in his career if he can have another big game, or two, ahead of the looming postseason for the Black and Gold.
Unfortunately, none of that wipes away letting a third-period lead slip away on Saturday after the B’s had become very adept at closing teams out in the third period when armed with a lead this season.
“It feels like you’re in control of your own destiny, but that almost makes it worse when you can’t get yourselves a point or two…especially at this time of year against a divisional [opponent] and how tight the race is,” said Geekie. “There are a lot of positives to take out of [this game]. They’re a great team and they have been here [on the playoff doorstep] a number of times, so we kind of take those things, work on the positives and get ready for the next one.”
Now, the mission becomes snapping the losing streak ahead of next week’s start to the Stanley Cup playoffs and attempting to get the offense a bit more untracked ahead of the postseason. Unfortunately for the B’s, it’s not going to get any easier on the road Sunday against a Blue Jackets team very much still fighting for a Metro Division playoff spot with Columbus, Philly, Washington, and the Islanders still alive for the third and final spot in the divisional playoff structure.
• Now that the Boston Bruins have clinched a Stanley Cup playoff berth, one would expect that we’re going to see 19-year-old James Hagens make his NHL debut in one of these last couple of games. Sturm was noncommittal after Saturday’s loss to the Lightning prior to knowing his team had locked up a postseason berth by virtue of the Red Wings losing to the New Jersey Devils, but things will be a little more about preparing for the postseason now that they know they are in – and that would include getting Hagens some ice time at the NHL level.
Certainly, the youngster might offer a more explosive offensive alternative than Mikey Eyssimont, Alex Steeves or Lukas Reichel, but part of the calculation also has to be exactly what level of liability Hagens might wind up being in terms of board battles, systems play or strength on the puck during intense playoff-level games. The only way to find out is by dropping him into one, or both, of these final two games and taking a look at what Hagens could bring at the NHL level. And also what kind of impact the phenom might make on a power play that could use something extra after struggling down the stretch, headed into the postseason.
But make no mistake, the Bruins are going to be very cautious and deliberate in the way that they deploy their prized prospect before he becomes a fixture with their NHL group next season and beyond.
“He just needs time and to get used to our system,” said Sturm of Hagens. “That’s the biggest thing. I’m not going to throw that kid in and have him fail. I don’t want to do that. So he’s on the right track. That’s our next step and we will take it day by day and find the right time.”
*Congrats to the Bruins season award winners, annually announced with an on-ice presentation prior to the game, but that was not done this season due to it being a busy day at TD Garden, the 12:30 pm matinee start time, and the game also being a nationally televised game on ABC on Saturday afternoon, among other reasons.
Here are the award winners:
• 98.5 the Sports Hub Three Stars (top performers in home games – selected by 98.5): Morgan Geekie (Third Star), David Pastrnak (Second Star) and Jeremy Swayman (First Star)
–John P. Bucyk Award (exceptional off-ice charitable contributions – selected by Johnny Bucyk): Jordan Harris
–Elizabeth Dufresne Award (outstanding performance on home ice – selected by the Boston chapter of the PHWA): Jeremy Swayman
–Eddie Shore Award (exceptional hustle and determination – selected by B’s Legacy Season Ticket Holders): Charlie McAvoy
• You’ve got to love John Tortorella back on an NHL bench and providing the personality that only he can inject into NHL on-the-bench interviews during games.
