The Boston Bruins faithful were able to focus back on hockey for a couple of hours by booing Jarome Iginla, who chose to go to Pittsburgh rather than Boston a few weeks ago. Iginla had the last laugh when he blasted in a 50-foot powerplay shot to help the Penguins clinch the East with a 3-2 win in a game postponed until Saturday by the successful manhunt Friday. The Penguins dominated the East despite playing again without three of their best players (Sidney Crosby–broken jaw, Evgeni Malkin-shoulder, James Neal–concussion).
Seed | Eastern | DIV | GP | W | L | OT | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pittsburgh | ATL | 44 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 68 |
2 | Montréal | NE | 44 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 59 |
3 | Washington | SE | 44 | 24 | 18 | 2 | 50 |
4 | Boston | NE | 43 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 57 |
5 | Toronto | NE | 44 | 24 | 15 | 5 | 53 |
6 | Ottawa | NE | 43 | 23 | 14 | 6 | 52 |
7 | NY Islanders | ATL | 44 | 23 | 16 | 5 | 51 |
8 | NY Rangers | ATL | 44 | 23 | 17 | 4 | 50 |
Out | Winnipeg | SE | 44 | 23 | 19 | 2 | 48 |
Out | New Jersey | ATL | 44 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 44 |
Out | Buffalo | NE | 45 | 19 | 20 | 6 | 44 |
Out | Philadelphia | ATL | 44 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 41 |
Out | Tampa Bay | SE | 44 | 17 | 23 | 4 | 38 |
Out | Carolina | SE | 43 | 17 | 23 | 3 | 37 |
Out | Florida | SE | 44 | 13 | 25 | 6 | 32 |
The Bruins are still in strong shape for the final playoff spot with home advantage, but the fifth through eighth place teams are all still mathematically alive to catch them. If any do, the Bruins would start the playoffs on the road.
If the Bruins hold on, they would play Toronto (53 points), Ottawa (52), New York Islanders (51), or New York Rangers (50). For the AP account of the game, click here.
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