The Tampa Bay Lightning might lose to the New York Rangers despite starting with a 2-0 lead, yet the scoreboard might still provide some relief ... assuming they can see some out-of-town results.
(OK, so maybe only Lightning fans will get to utter a sigh of relief, at least for now.)
With the Boston Bruins’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on the docket, the Lightning are guaranteed a spot in the 2016 playoffs. The NHL provided the ‘ol ticket punched graphic and everything:
.@TBLightning have clinched a #StanleyCup Playoffs berth for the 3rd straight season & 9th time in franchise history pic.twitter.com/WAsvEUWOOJ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 6, 2016
The Bruins aren’t hopeless yet, but they remain outside of the East’s top eight thanks to tiebreaker advantages held by the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings.
As you can see, this loss hurts, although the Bruins at least managed to grind out a standings point.