Where Bruins stand amid historic start

Eastern Conference playoff race update: Where B’s stand amid historic start originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins are the class of the NHL.

With a 34-5-4 record entering Wednesday, they have an 11-point lead over the second-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division and a 10-point lead over the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes for the top record in the Eastern Conference.

It would take quite a slump in the second half of the season for the Bruins to give up their lead for home ice advantage throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. That said, the Leafs, Hurricanes and even the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t going away. If anything, those three teams could get even better over the next month-and-a-half if they make upgrades before the March 3 trade deadline.

Here’s an overview of where the Bruins sit in the playoff race.

Eastern Conference Standings

USA TODAY Sports

Atlantic Division

1. Boston Bruins (43 GP, 34-5-3, 72 points)

2. Toronto Maple Leafs (45 GP, 27-11-7, 61 points)

3. Tampa Bay Lightning (42 GP, 28-13-1, 57 points)

The three guaranteed playoff spots in the Atlantic are pretty much set.

The Bruins are the overwhelming favorite to win the division and play one of the two wild card teams in Round 1. The Leafs and Lightning will almost certainly be the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the division. Toronto and Tampa Bay could flip flop a bunch of times before now and the end of the regular season, but it’s really hard to envision the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings or Buffalo Sabres challenging either team for one of those spots. The Panthers are fourth in the Atlantic with 47 points — 10 behind the Lightning with four more games played than Tampa Bay.

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The Leafs and Lightning finished second and third, respectively, last season and squared off in an exciting first-round playoff series. The Lightning eliminated the Leafs by winning a Game 7 in Toronto.

Story continues

The Bruins’ path to the Eastern Conference Final is becoming more clear by the day. They’ll have to beat a wild card team in the first round and then the Leafs or Lightning in the second round.

Wild Card

1. Washington Capitals (47 GP, 24-17-6, 54 points)

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (43 GP, 22-25-6, 50 points)

In the mix

• New York Islanders (45 GP, 23-18-4, 50 points)

• Florida Panthers (46 GP, 21-20-5, 47 points)

• Buffalo Sabres (43 GP, 21-19-3, 45 points)

• Philadelphia Flyers (45 GP, 19-19-7, 45 points)

• Detroit Red Wings (43 GP,…