from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

The Bruins have 28 games remaining in the regular season. That’s still enough for things to go sideways.

Chances are likely, however, that the Bruins will remain among the top eight in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs. The ninth-place Panthers lost to the Predators in a shootout Saturday. The Panthers are 6 points behind the Bruins, a deficit that will be difficult to wipe out with just over two months remaining until the postseason begins.

Assuming the Bruins make the playoffs, they could face off against the second-place Canadiens in the first round. This would not be a good thing.

The Canadiens have the Bruins’ number. They swept the four-game season series Sunday at TD Garden with a 3-1 win.

Last year, they stopped the Bruins’ march toward the Stanley Cup. They could send them golfing yet again this spring.

“It can’t,” coach Claude Julien answered when asked if Montreal presented a mental block for his team. “We can’t allow it.”

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