The Boston Bruins should be feeling the pressure right about now.
They were unable to get two points against the Florida Panthers, losing 2-1 in a shootout on Saturday. And, just a few minutes before that result became a final, the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs to inch even closer to the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, currently held precariously by the Bruins.
Brandon Pirri scored the winner in the shootout, while Roberto Luongo stopped all three Boston attempts.
The Bruins now lead the Senators by a single point for the Wild Card but Ottawa has a game in hand. The Panthers are hanging in there, just four points back.
“Was a tight game like it was supposed to be, but we’re basing ourselves on results, and we got a point — we want to get two,” said Bruins head coach Claude Julien, as per the club’s Twitter account.
Making matters worse for the Bruins is the fact defenseman Dougie Hamilton didn’t play the third period, leaving the game with an undisclosed injury.
There was no postgame update on Hamilton's status from Claude--he hadn't yet talked to the trainers.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 22, 2015