Bruins whiff on chance to clinch playoff berth: ‘It’s still in our control’

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff projectionsNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Regular The odds remain likely that the Bruins will make the playoffs, but that didn't make them feel better after Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to the Lightning. Brian Fluharty / Imagn Images Share full articleBOSTON — The odds remain practically airtight that the Boston Bruins will make the playoffs. This could happen in short order. They are in if the New Jersey Devils beat the Detroit Red Wings in regulation tonight. That did not make them feel better after Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Any kind of win would have allowed the Bruins to clinch a postseason spot on their own merit. It would have been a nice feeling considering how hard they have worked to put themselves in this position. “We are in a good spot,” said David Pastrnak. “We put ourselves in a hole here. At the same time, we’ve lost five in a row. We have to get our game back. Time is ticking. Good news is we are back at it tomorrow. We know we are getting better as a group. We are a confident group. We need to find it.” The Bruins have not played poorly in their last five games. They took a 1-0 lead into Saturday’s third period. They did the same thing last week against the same opponent. They lost a coin-flip game against the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime on April 5. Two days later, they rallied against the Carolina Hurricanes to score an overtime point. But the results are the results: five games, two points, zero wins. Tire-spinning going into the playoffs is not a good way to go about your business. “It was a lot of excitement today,” said coach Marco Sturm of possibly clinching at home. “We were hoping for a big day here in Boston. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. We’ve got to look at the positives. The positive is we still have two games left. It’s still in our control. We’re going to get back at it tomorrow. We’ve done it before in Columbus and we’ve got to do it again. That should be our mindset.” Regardless of the Devils-Red Wings outcome, the Bruins were focused on beating the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. Not only would this guarantee postseason advancement, but it would also help the Bruins feel better about their game heading into Round 1. They have yet to win in April. The Blue Jackets took it to the Bruins early on March 29, grabbing a 3-0 lead. Fights by Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic helped the Bruins turn the game around and score a 4-3 shootout win.  “We got absolutely dominated in the first period. It took us a long time to get it back,” Sturm said. “We can’t do that tomorrow. That’s something I’m going to address for sure. Forget about getting into the playoffs or not. We’re going to take it period by period. We want to build on a lot of things we did good today. We’ve just got to find a way.” Topping the list of productive outcomes was another Morgan Geekie goal. He has scored four goals in the last two games. His 17-game goal-scoring slump is history. He is feeling good about his touch, which will be needed in the first round. On his goal, Geekie received an outlet pass from Charlie McAvoy and slipped behind the Lightning. As soon as he settled the puck, Geekie ripped a wrister over Andrei Vasilevskiy’s glove without a single deke. “That breakaway says it all,” said Sturm. “He doesn’t even think. He just shoots and it goes in the net. It’s nice to see him back smiling and feeling confident.” One of Geekie’s issues during his downturn was his positioning. His shot is good enough to beat goalies from exterior ice. But he does his best work between the dots. His hat trick against Carolina was proof: a ripper from the slot, a blast from the top of the crease, a down-low deflection. Geekie can be lethal in high-danger ice. “They’re all in the slot,” Sturm said of Geekie’s three-goal explosion. “They’re all in that net-front slot area where he can be very dangerous because of his shot and ability to tip pucks. If I ever have a meeting again, and I will, I’ll probably show him those three goals. Because that’s an area he has to go to. He has to recognize that’s how he gets out of things when he is in a slump.” Saturday’s loss may convince Sturm to defer James Hagens’ NHL debut until after the Bruins clinch. Mikey Eyssimont was noticeable as the No. 3 left wing next to Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov.  It may also give Sturm reason to go back to Jeremy Swayman on Sunday. The No. 1 goalie was in net for back-to-back wins against the Minnesota Wild and the Blue Jackets last month. Swayman is the No. 1 reason the Bruins are about to make the playoffs. This could be the time for the ace to lock things up for his team. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Fluto Shinzawa is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Bruins. He has covered the team since 2006, formerly as a staff writer for The Boston Globe. Follow Fluto on Twitter @flutoshinzawa