The Bruins clinched a playoff berth on Saturday night, but no such outcome was even remotely possible for the Florida Panthers, who lost 7-3 to Boston on Saturday. Boston scored five times in the second period.
Florida now has just seven games left in the regular season, including the next four on the road. The Panthers then close out the regular season with three straight home games.
The Panthers (33-30-12) finished Saturday night with 78 points, trailing the Montreal Canadiens by nine points for the last wild-card playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
In Saturday’s game, the Panthers turned the puck over 24 times to just 12 for Boston, and that was a major factor.