BOSTON -- If one can borrow a popular phrase for the weekend, the Boston Bruins, despite winning nine of their first 12 games under interim coach Bruce Cassidy, find themselves squarely on the playoff bubble as they host the fading Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Hoping to end a two-year run of failing to make the playoffs, and reacting well to the firing of Claude Julien and the hiring of his replacement, Boston starts play Saturday two points ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic Division, with the Maple Leafs holding a game in hand.
But that's not the only problem -- the surging New York Islanders hold down the second wild card and have one fewer point than the Bruins with a game in hand.