Let us be clear about the nature of the modern NHL’s wild card- and shootout-aided final month of games: Every game is massively important and yet...each is just another game.
The New York Islanders and Boston Bruins are tied in points ahead of their final meeting of the season tonight, with both vying for the lone remaining accessible wild card playoff spot. They have nine and eight games remaining, respectively.
This is big.
Yet it’s also just another game. They will all only keep getting bigger as the season winds down and escape routes diminish.