COMMENTARY
The Boston Bruins were winless against their first-round playoff opponent during the regular season.
What a stroke of luck.
In their final game of the regular season on Sunday, the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Toronto, 3-2, sending the resurgent Maple Leafs to a postseason date with the top-seeded Washington Capitals, not the Bruins, a matchup that seemed all but inevitable.
That left the Leafs with the second wild card slot in the Eastern Conference while the Bruins slid into third place in the Atlantic Division, avoiding what would have been a cataclysmic opening round against the Capitals, the President’s Trophy champs who pose the biggest threat in the East, despite their history of postseason chokes.