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How Bruins Play In Must-Win Vs. Senators Will Help Management Plan For Future

By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston

WILMINGTON – There are a number of scenarios by which the Bruins can clinch a playoff spot this weekend – some involving them beating Ottawa on Saturday, and some even including a loss to the Senators.

But at this point of the season with the Senators mathematically eliminated and playing for nothing than pride, the Bruins can't expect the "hockey gods" to look kindly down on them if they go out and do anything less than get two points against Ottawa. In fact, they should expect those gods to punish them if they don't at least duplicate the effort that beat Detroit 5-2 on Thursday against the Senators and put a little heat on the Red Wings and Philadelphia to get the job done if they want to keep Boston out of the postseason.

"It's the last game tomorrow of the season," center David Krejci said after potentially the last practice of the season Friday at Ristuccia Arena. "And we have to put everything on the line. Just go out there, don't think, don't hesitate. You just go for your first instinct and that's what we did [Thursday]. So we're going to have to play the same way tomorrow."

The Bruins season started with a 6-2 home loss to Winnipeg. Little did anyone know that embarrassing defeat would lead to one of the most inconsistent, mediocre seasons in recent memory. After compiling a respectable 20-12-4 record in the 2015 portion of the schedule, the Bruins opened the new year worse than they opened the season. The 5-1 loss to Montreal in the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium epitomized the Bruins' struggle to play effectively as a team for 60 minutes. The full-60-minute efforts have been few and far between since.

Against the Red Wings the Bruins played well in all three zones, got offensive contributions from numerous sources, including some that hadn't been mined in a while, and showed a killer instinct by adding on to their lead and never letting Detroit think it was in the game. The Bruins put themselves in position to at least be alive in Game 82.

Another knockout performance against Ottawa won't do anything to erase the foibles of the 2015-16 regular season. The Bruins missed chances to develop some younger players in their desperation to get into the playoffs. They missed too many points against teams with no interest in winning; points that could have the Bruins in first place right now rather than on the playoff bubble.

But it's still worth it to defeat the Senators and maybe get into the playoffs with help. So much of this season was about assessing the organization and planning for the future. How the Bruins play Saturday will tell us if the veteran core – led by Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and Krejci – still has the fire it takes to be part of a championship-caliber team in the near future. We'll find out if they still have the guts and the ability to get the rest of the squad rallied and ready.

The Senators game will also be an early referendum on the potential of some of Boston's younger players. This will be a way for general manager Don Sweeney to see if the likes of Ryan Spooner, Frank Vatrano, Colin Miller and Noel Acciari have the gumption to be part of the solution to the Bruins' problems.

No one is expecting anyone to play way over their ability level. The Bruins don't have to decimate Ottawa. They have to take the ice Saturday and prove they're as fearless as they say, as determined as they claim and care as much as they want everyone outside their room to believe.

Beyond the money the Bruins can make off a couple of home playoff dates, there are benefits to being in the postseason, even if that means being the second wild card and getting jolted by Washington. The experience will be invaluable to the Bruins' younger players. The older players, especially ones that missed the playoffs last year, could find themselves rejuvenated.

Anything less than the Bruins' best effort throughout the lineup, though, could be cause for management to alter its trajectory as the rebuild continues.

Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.

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