Bruins to Play Hawks For Playoffs Tonight

Boston's battling Bruins are fighting to keep hold of their share of second place tonight as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks in the Garden.

A win or a tie tonight will guarantee them a place in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1959.

With only five games remaining, the Bruins are tied with New York for second, but Chicago is hanging just one point behind in third.

Tonight's game is the Bruins' last encounter with the Hawks before the Stanley Cup playoffs two weeks from now. They will meet New York for the last time here in Boston on March 28 and then go to Montreal on the 30th for their last game with the league leading Canadians.

A win tonight will put Boston in undisputed control of second just six points behind Montreal, but a loss could drop them back to fourth.

The Bruins are boasting a 35-24-10 record compared with 17-42-10 last year at this time and are leading the league in scoring.