Bruins have a chance to make NHL history AND clinch a playoff spot Thursday night

BOSTON -- Stop us if you've heard this before: The Bruins have a chance to make NHL history on Thursday night.

How about making some NHL history, while also tying NHL history, AND clinching a playoff spot all on the same night? Sounds like a pretty good plan for the B's.

The Bruins have a chance to add yet another piece of historical significance to their resume when they host the Edmonton Oilers at TD Garden. A win over Connor McDavid and company (no easy task) will give the Bruins 50 victories on the season in just 63 games, making them the fastest squad to the 50-win mark in NHL history.

The current record is 50 wins in 66 games, which was set by the Detroit Red Wings in 1995-96 and matched by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018-19. Those Red Wings lost in the Western Conference Finals in five games to the eventual Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, while the Lightning were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

So even if the Bruins don't get a home win on Thursday, they'll have a few more opportunities to set a new record. Their next chances would come Saturday at home against the Red Wings, followed by Sunday in Detroit against those same Red Wings.

But how about the playoffs? The Bruins clinching a playoff spot has been a foregone conclusion since... late October?  But it could happen as early as Thursday night, with some help around the league.

Boston can punch its ticket to the playoffs for the seventh straight year on Thursday night with a win and... well a lot. The NHL outlines it all here and it will give anyone a popsicle headache, but the Bruins need essentially need the Sabres, Islanders, and Senators all to lose in addition to beating the Oilers. But there's a lot more to it than just that.

But should all of that happen for Boston, the Bruins would become the second-fastest team to clinch a playoff spot during an 82-game season, matching the 1998-99 Stars. The aforementioned 1995-96 Red Wings own the record, clinching a playoff spot in just 59 games.

But it will soon become a reality, and could happen as early as Thursday night.