Senators, Bruins clinch playoff spots with Red Wings' loss

The Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins secured their berths in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday after the Detroit Red Wings were mathematically eliminated with a loss to the New Jersey Devils.

The Senators qualified for the second season in a row after a seven-year drought. Ottawa lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round last spring.

The Bruins are back in the playoffs after finishing last in the Atlantic Division in 2024-25. Boston had made the postseason in eight successive seasons before last year's blip.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, have now missed the playoffs 10 years in a row. Detroit was third in the Atlantic Division when the NHL paused for the Olympics in early February but has gone 8-11-3 since action resumed.

The Senators trended in the opposite direction, resurrecting their season with a 15-5-3 record since the break.

Ottawa and Boston will be wild-card seeds and are tied with 96 points and two games remaining. Their first-round matchups have yet to be determined and will likely come down to the wire, as the seeding atop the Eastern Conference is far from decided.