No downplaying it: Bruins facing a huge game in Ottawa

BOSTON — It’s been a long time since the Bruins and Senators have played a big game, but Saturday’s 3 p.m. game in Ottawa undoubtedly fits that description.

A year ago, the Red Wings and Capitals each finished the regular season with 91 points. Washington went to the playoffs and Detroit went home because the Capitals had more regular-season wins.

In 2022-23, the Panthers finished with one more point than the Penguins and Sabres to earn the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Florida, of course, then upset the top-seeded Bruins and advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup final.

Simply, in a tight playoff race, a game and or even a point, can be the difference between getting into the playoffs and not getting in for teams around the cut line.

That hasn’t been a problem for the Bruins in recent years because they’ve been closer to the Presidents’ Trophy than the lottery. But this year has been much different.

Before play began around the NHL on Friday night, the Bruins were 22-19-5 for 49 points in 46 games which put them in the second Wild Card or last playoff spot.

But that’s misleading. Boston is just a point ahead of both Ottawa and Montreal, who have 48 points in two fewer games (44 games each).

The Bruins need to beat the Senators, not only to improve their situation but to prevent Ottawa from improving.

“For us, it’s zeroing in on the games in front of us and just trying to play our game,” interim coach Joe Sacco said. “If we stick to our process, hopefully, the end result will take care of itself. … We’re in a position that we put ourselves in and it’s our job, our responsibility to keep forging ahead and make sure we’re playing and executing at a high level so we give ourselves a chance. It’s too much to look ahead.”

Bruins captain Brad Marchand said the players always know where they are in the standings, good or bad. The key is keeping them in perspective. He acknowledged that two potentially critical points were on the line on Saturday.

“They’re big points for both teams. It’s another opportunity to try to build our game. We’ve had a couple of big wins lately. There are definitely areas we can continue to improve upon. This is another opportunity to do that,” he said. “We watch standings all year. You try not to get too caught up in them. Things change daily. But we’re aware of it. … You can never forget it’s extremely hard to win in this league. You can’t get caught up thinking your place in the standings is the be-all, end-all. At the end of the day, any team in the playoffs can win, you just have to get in there.”

But be acknowledged that getting in isn’t something they can take for granted.

“But if you’re at the bottom, teams can catch you and push you out. That’s what you’re kind of worried about,” Marchand said. “Other than that it doesn’t matter what place, you just need to get to the dance. But it’s something we need to be aware of. There’s a lot of teams pushing.”

Sacco said he’s leaning toward starting Jeremy Swayman, who played one of his best two-game stretches of the season last week in wins over Florida and Tampa. It won’t be Swayman vs. Ullmark Part Deux. Ullmark is currently on injured reserve.

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