from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

The next 48 hours are going to go a long way toward deciding the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Bruins continue to flirt with disaster after dropping a 2-1 shootout decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, and they face the prospect of significant change within the team if they miss the playoffs two years in a row.

They wake up Wednesday out of the playoffs, but tied with the Detroit Red Wings (current owners of third place in the Atlantic Division) and Philadelphia Flyers (currently the second wild-card team) at 91 points apiece. The Bruins have only two games remaining, while Detroit has three and Philly has four.

The Flyers are in Detroit on Wednesday evening, and then the Red Wings travel to Boston on Thursday. You want drama? You've got drama.

You know the B's will be cheering for a regulation decision one way or the other between the Wings and Flyers, which would prevent each team from earning at least one point. If you're the Bruins, leaving a point on the table against non-playoff competition like the 'Canes puts them in a precarious position with little time left.

So, how does it shake down in the next two days? I think the Bruins have waited too long and given themselves too little time and space to get back in.

more on the topic from the ESPN crew...