The Boston Bruins wrap up a two-game road trip against teams fighting for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference when they face the Washington Capitals on Monday night.
Boston (47-18-15, 109 points) held onto the top spot in the Atlantic Division standings and kept alive its hopes for a second consecutive Presidents’ Trophy with a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Pavel Zacha contributed a goal and an assist, Brad Marchand scored a short-handed goal, and David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle each recorded two assists to propel the Bruins to their fifth win in six games.
However, coach Jim Montgomery emphasized that maintaining strong play heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs is more crucial than securing a specific seeding.
“We’re focused on Game 1. Whether we finish first or second – it would be nice to finish first, but what matters most is that our game is ready,” Montgomery said.
Pittsburgh’s loss to Boston dropped them out of the second wild-card spot in the East, now held by Washington (38-31-11, 87 points) following their 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The upcoming game against Washington represents another tough challenge for the Bruins, with forward Jake DeBrusk acknowledging the intensity of the matchup.
Both teams will wrap up the regular season with back-to-back games, highlighting the importance of finishing strong as they head into playoff contention.
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