Bruins playoff picture: How Tuesday results affected Boston’s first-round foe

BOSTON — It was a rough night for teams trying to get into the NHL playoffs as the Sabres are out and the Penguins no longer control their own destiny.

With the best record in the Eastern Conference and the NHL sewn up, the Bruins are guaranteed to face the second wild-card team — likely on April 17. They’ll find out who that is Thursday.

The top three seeds in both the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions are locked up. The Florida Panthers have clinched a Wild Card spot, but it’s not clear which one. The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are competing for the last spot.

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If the Penguins had beaten the lowly Blackhawks, they would only have needed a win over last-place Columbus to clinch a berth on Thursday, but they lost 5-2 and now need a win and an Islanders loss to Montreal on Wednesday. If the Islanders beat Montreal on Wednesday, they’ll clinch a playoff spot and could leapfrog Florida.

The Sabres’ magic ran out with their 6-2 loss to New Jersey.

Here’s where things stand:

....................GP—W-L-OT—Pts

Florida...............81—42-31-8—92

N.Y. Islanders....81—41-31-9—91

Pittsburgh.........81—40-31-10-90

Florida — Thursday vs. Carolina

N.Y. Islanders — Wednesday vs. Montreal

Pittsburgh — Thursday at Columbus

If the standings hold the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs would be:

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC2 New York Islanders

M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Florida Panthers

A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning

M2 New Jersey Devils vs. M3 New York Rangers