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Bruins clinch Atlantic Division title, closing in on Presidents’ Trophy originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins are officially the champions of the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins’ secured the division title with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon.
Boston clinched the division in just 72 games, which ties the 2015-16 Washington Capitals as the fastest team to clinch a division title since the current playoff format was introduced in 2013-14.
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It’s the 27th division title for the Bruins in their long history and their first since 2019-20. It’s the seventh division title the Bruins have won since team captain Patrice Bergeron’s rookie season of 2003-04.
Two weeks ago the Bruins became the first team in the league this season to clinch a playoff berth. They’ve now guaranteed themselves home ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
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The Original Six club is closing in on the Presidents’ Trophy, which is awarded to the team that finishes the season with the best record. The Bruins have a league-best 56-11-5 record and a 17-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes.
If the B’s win the Presidents’ Trophy, they’ll be the No. 1 overall seed and have home ice throughout the playoffs. The No. 1 seed plays the No. 2 wild card team. If the season ended today, the Bruins would play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
Even though recent Presidents’ Trophy winners have struggled to win the Stanley Cup, it’s still important to have home ice advantage through all four rounds, especially for this Bruins team that owns a league-best 30-3-3 home record.
