Bruins Playoff Picture: What's At Stake Vs. Red Wings Thursday Night

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- And so ... it has come down to this:

From "It's Called Bruins" to "We Want It" to "Stanley Cup Champions" to ... "Can't Be Eliminated Tomorrow."

APRIL 8 UPDATE: A more recent version of the playoff scenarios is available here.

In the big picture, it's a precipitous drop, no doubt. But in the short term, it is a reminder that all is not yet lost.

The Bruins will host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night in a game that is as close to a must-win as possible without technically being a must-win.

The Bruins, despite Tuesday's shootout loss to the Hurricanes, are still in the hunt for both the third spot in the Atlantic Division as well as the second wild-card spot. Detroit currently occupies the third spot in the Atlantic, bolstered by Tuesday night's win over Philadelphia. That second wild-card spot remains occupied by the Flyers.

Here's how the end of the season will play out for those three teams:

Obviously, the significance of Thursday night's tilt at the Garden can't be overstated. If the Bruins beat the Red Wings, they'll draw even in the standings, but they won't have the tiebreaker (regulation/overtime wins). However, if the Bruins then went on to beat the Senators and if the Red Wings lost to the Rangers on Saturday, then the Bruins would magically leapfrog Detroit and earn that final playoff spot in the Atlantic.

However, that's where our *asterisk* comes into play.

The Rangers are currently holding on to the final spot in the Metropolitan Division, a mere two points ahead of the Islanders. But the Rangers may actually prefer sliding out of that spot and into the first wild-card position, because doing so would result in the Rangers getting adopted for the first two rounds by the Atlantic. With Steven Stamkos out for the foreseeable future, the prospect of dealing with Tampa Bay and Florida (and either Detroit or Boston) would seemingly be preferable to having to deal with the Capitals before the Eastern Conference Final. So, come Saturday afternoon, Detroit may be playing to earn a playoff spot, while the Rangers may be playing to lose.

With that being understood, the chances of the Bruins actually beating out Detroit for that spot remain very, very slim.

And so, the only other way into the playoffs is by taking Philly's spot. In what would be the most hilarious and entertaining scenario, the Bruins could actually lose their final two games and still make the playoffs. That is, just as long as the Flyers lose their remaining three games, too. They'd be tied at 91 points, with the Bruins owning the tiebreaker in ROW, allowing Boston to backslide into the postseason to face the Capitals, against whom Boston is 0-2-1 this season.

But, the same potential implications that apply to the Rangers will apply to the Islanders on Sunday when they host the Flyers in our second *asterisk* game of the week. If the Flyers can earn themselves a playoff spot with a win, and if the Islanders can guarantee a first-round matchup with Florida instead of Pittsburgh, the Isles may be motivated to perhaps not exactly play for the W on Sunday night in Brooklyn.

Also, expecting the Flyers to lose out would require them to finish the year on a five-game losing streak. The Flyers haven't lost five in a row since Oct. 27-Nov. 5, a stretch that did include two overtime losses.

So, again, if the Bruins are to have a prayer, they'll need to minimize the amount of help they'll need, and they therefore must at least win both of their games. That seemingly simply quest begins Thursday night in Boston.

In:
• Boston Bruins
• NHL
• Detroit Red Wings
• NHL Playoffs