The Bruins still control their own destiny to make the playoffs this year, but regardless of where they finish they have now been guaranteed a top-three pick in this June’s draft.

The Rangers beat Toronto 5-1 this evening. That pulls New York within a point of Boston for the final playoff spot in the East and makes things a little hairy for the final weekend of the season. But more importantly in the big picture, it also leaves the Leafs with 72 points and just one game remaining (at Montreal on Saturday).

Toronto is two points behind both Tampa Bay and Florida, but both of those teams have 31 wins – two more than the Leafs – and three games remaining. Even if either failed to collect another point (and they play each other in a home-and-home series to end the season so someone has to collect those four points), Toronto can max out with 30 wins, leaving them locked into 29^th place in the league.

The Bruins own Toronto’s first-round pick (as well as its second and next year’s first) from the Phil Kessel deal. Even if last-place Edmonton or Boston (with Toronto’s pick) don’t win the lottery next Tuesday (8 p.m., VERSUS), teams can only drop one spot, meaning Boston can pick no worse than third this year.

Winning the lottery, or at least having Edmonton win to retain the top pick, is still huge for the Bruins. The top two prospects available are forwards Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. While defenseman Cam Fowler, widely considered the third-best player available, projects to be a future star, the Bruins’ greatest need is for scoring help up front, so landing either Hall or Seguin is imperative.

The Bruins have an excellent shot at that now, but it’s far from certain. The last-place team has a 25 percent chance of winning the lottery and the 29^th-place team has an 18.8 percent shot. But the teams in the 28^th (14.2 percent), 27^th (10.7 percent), 26^th (8.1 percent) and 25^th (6.2 percent) could also jump ahead of the Bruins if their ping-pong ball is pulled next Tuesday.

That’s a concern for next week though. For now, the Bruins only have to worry about scoreboard watching in the playoff race. Boston has a game in hand on all three other contenders for the final three spots, as the Bruins host Buffalo tomorrow and Carolina Saturday, then play at Washington on Sunday.

The Rangers and seventh-place Flyers (86 points end their seasons with a home-and-home series on Friday and Sunday, while sixth-place Montreal plays at Carolina tomorrow and hosts Toronto on Saturday. For once, the Bruins can actually root for the Leafs without any reservations about hurting their draft position.

Here are the updated standings in the race for the final playoff spots in the East with the clubs’ remaining games:

6. Montreal – 80 games, 39-32-9, 87 points; at Carolina (Thursday), vs. Toronto (Saturday)

7. Philadelphia – 80 games, 40-34-6, 86 points; at NY Rangers (Friday), vs. NY Rangers (Sunday)

8. BOSTON – 79 games, 36-30-13, 85 points; vs. Buffalo (Thursday), vs. Carolina (Saturday), at Washington (Sunday)

9. NY Rangers – 80 games, 37-33-10, 84 points; vs. Philadelphia (Friday), at Philadelphia (Sunday)

Final: Boston 2, Toronto 1 (OT)

The Bruins got the two points they desperately needed to stay in a playoff position, though they didn’t exactly inspire much hope that they could actually do any damage in the postseason as they had to go to overtime to beat the lowly Leafs. Yes, Toronto has played better of late, but the Bruins still need to handle the second-worst team in the NHL better than that if they think they can actually compete with one of the top seeds in the conference in the playoffs. It was a gutsy effort by the defense playing without Mark Stuart and Andrew Ference, then losing Dennis Seidenberg early in the first period, but the Bruins will have to be a lot better than this to beat Washington on Monday.

Records: Boston 36-30-12, 84 points; Toronto 29-36-14, 72 points

Revisiting the Three Keys for the B’s:

1. New lines, new results? – One line worked at least, as David Krejci made the most of his new linemates with assists on both goals. Miroslav Satan scored both, his first points in six games and his first multi-goal game as a Bruin. The demotions of Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder didn’t serve as much of a wake-up call for them though, as neither was a factor offensively.

2. School the Frat Pack – Toronto’s recently formed line of ex-college stars Viktor Stalberg (Vermont), Christian Hanson (Notre Dame) and Tyler Bozak (Denver) had been red-hot coming into the game, but the Bruins kept them quiet in this one, as the trio combined to go minus-4 with no points and a pair of minor penalties, though they did manage eight shots.

3. Shut down Kessel, again – Former Bruin Phil Kessel completes a disappointing season series against his old club, as he was a minus-1 with three shots and no points in 16:52. He finishes the six games against Boston with no goals and just a secondary assist and was a minus-5 against his old club.

Key Play of the Game:

The Bruins got the second point in overtime thanks to some strong work by Krejci to win control of a draw in the Toronto end, getting the puck back to the right point where Zdeno Chara blasted it on net. Satan deflected it out front with the shaft of his stick, earning the Bruins a much-needed OT win.

Fight Card:

There were no fights in this one, as Shawn Thornton was kept out with what was called an upper-body injury. Mark Stuart was also out injured, leaving Milan Lucic and Chara as the only physical players in the lineup for Boston. Lucic had words with Dion Phaneuf several times, but nothing developed. Toronto enforcer Colton Orr, meanwhile, had free reign and took full advantage, launching a late shot high and hard on Tuukka Rask, delivering several big hits and even scoring Toronto’s only goal.

Flynn’s Finest:

David Krejci turned in another strong effort, and given some better wingers to work with that work paid off in a pair of assists. He was a plus-2 in 20:24 with five shots and two hits. … Miroslav Satan benefitted most from playing with Krejci, as he scored both goals to snap a five-game point drought. He did plenty of work himself though, driving the net to bang in a rebound of a Krejci shot for the first goal and setting up in front for the tip on the winner. He finished with three shots and was a plus-2 in 19:14. … With Stuart and Ference out and Seidenberg injured early, Zdeno Chara was a monster, playing a season-high 32:53 and proving the primary assist on the winning goal with his point shot. He was also a plus-2 with four blocked shots and three hits. … Tuukka Rask held the fort while Boston was being dominated early and came up with some big saves throughout, finishing the night with 27 stops. … Andrew Bodnarchuk played just 7:50 and was on the ice for Toronto’s goal, but otherwise acquitted himself well in his NHL debut.

Flynn’s Sin Bin:

Claude Julien leads off this side of the ledger. First, there was the decision to go into the game against Colton Orr and Co. with no heavyweight presence. If Thornton was too injured to play, couldn’t the Bruins have found another seat on the plane for Guillaume Lefebvre when they rushed Bodnarchuk up to Toronto this morning? Things didn’t get much better once the game started, as the Bruins were charged with their league-high 12^th bench minor of the season with yet another too-many-men-on-the-ice call, while the revamped fourth line continued to see regular shifts even in the closing minutes of a tie game despite the ongoing slumps of Daniel Paille (18 games without a point), Steve Begin (1 point in 34 games) and Michael Ryder (1 goal in 19 games). Yes, that line was likely to net the go-ahead goal late in the third. … For a must-win game, the Bruins came out alarmingly flat, as Toronto dominated the opening period. The Leafs led 1-0 after one with a 14-5 shot advantage before the Bruins were able to get their legs going. … Blake Wheeler finally had his ice-time reduced with just 9:22 tonight, but still managed to be a minus-1. … The injuries on the blue line prevented a similar cutback on Dennis Wideman’s time, as he played 27:34. He did have an assist, but was also charged with two giveaways and nearly ended Satan’s night when his slap pass hit Satan and sent the winger limping off the ice in pain. That change in turn led to the too-many-men penalty. … The power play was 0 for 2, failing to convert a late chance in the third that could have won it in regulation and denied Toronto a point. … The injuries to Mark Stuart and Dennis Seidenberg will turn out to be the biggest minuses of the night if either is sidelined long. Seidenberg suffered a cut on his left wrist from a skate blade while boarding Nikolai Kulemin. He went to the box, but play actually had to be stopped for him to go to the room for treatment once the severity of the bleeding was discovered. Initial reports had him avoiding any serious tendon damage, so hopefully he will not miss much time. He’s been a huge addition to the defense since his arrival, and the Bruins can’t afford to lose him.

Next: The Bruins play at Eastern Conference-leading Washington on Monday.

Down on the Farm: Providence continued its own offensive struggles, particularly against Manchester, as the Baby B’s were blanked 3-0 by the Monarchs. New Bruins Joe Colborne (minus-1, 1 shot), Max Sauve (minus-1, 3 shots) and Steven Kampfer (minus-1, 4 shots) had a little more difficult time in their second game with Providence. Of course, Providence (34-36-5-1, 74 points) has had trouble with Manchester all season regardless of who is in the lineup. The Bruins finish the season series 1-8-1 against their East Division rival, having been shut out six times. Providence plays at Portland tomorrow. They have four games left in the season, and while not mathematically eliminated, they are eight points out of the final playoff spot with three teams to pass.

Playoff Picture: The Bruins needed this win after Montreal blanked Buffalo 3-0, the Rangers beat Florida 4-1 and Atlanta earned a point with a 4-3 overtime loss to Pittsburgh. Montreal stays two points ahead of the Bruins with its win, but Boston still has a game in hand. The Rangers pull even with Philly, but the Flyers stay in eighth thanks to having two more wins. It’s looking more and more like the home-and-home series between those two teams to end the season will determine at least one playoff spot. Here are the updated standings, with the games remaining for each club:

6. Montreal – 79 games, 39-32-8, 86 points; at NY Islanders, at Carolina, vs. Toronto

7. BOSTON – 78 games, 36-30-12, 84 points; at Washington, vs. Buffalo, vs. Carolina, at Washington

8. Philadelphia – 78 games, 38-34-6, 82 points; vs. Detroit, at Toronto, at NY Rangers, vs. NY Rangers

9. NY Rangers – 78 games, 36-32-10, 82 points; at Buffalo, vs. Toronto, vs. Philadelphia, at Philadelphia

10. Atlanta – 79 games, 34-32-13, 81 points; vs. New Jersey, at Washington, vs. Pittsburgh

Draft Update: At the bottom of the conference, the point the Bruins gave Toronto pulls the Leafs within two points of Tampa Bay and Florida, though both Sunshine State teams have a game in hand on Toronto. Carolina and the Islanders are four points ahead, with New York holding a game in hand. The Bruins, of course, need Toronto to stay in 29th place to have a shot at either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin to upgrade their offense next year with the Leafs’ first-round pick from the Kessel trade.

Matchup: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (NESN; 98.5 FM)

Records: Boston 35-30-12, 82 points; Toronto 29-36-13, 71 points

Past History: The Bruins rolled in the first meeting of the year, winning 7-2 on Dec. 5 as Marc Savard scored a hat trick and the Bruins thrilled their fans by shutting out Phil Kessel in his return to Boston. Kessel was pointless again on Dec. 10 when Boston downed the Leafs once more at the Garden, 5-2. The Leafs gained a measure of revenge with a 2-0 win in Toronto on Dec. 19, while the Bruins needed a shootout goal from Miroslav Satan to earn the second point against the Leafs in a 3-2 win on March 4. The Leafs got that back on March 9 when Nikolai Kulemin scored at 4:10 of OT for a 4-3 Toronto win. All-time, the Bruins hold a 275-253-98-6 edge overall, but are just 102-159-51-4 in Toronto.

Bruins Connections: Toronto has become a haven for former Bruins. Enforcer Colton Orr became a cult hero despite playing just 20 games in 2005 before being waived, while Kessel won’t be remembered quite so fondly after bolting Boston for the big money in Toronto this offseason. Wayne Primeau was here from 2005-07 after arriving as part of the return for Joe Thornton.

New England Ties: Toronto coach Ron Wilson hails from Riverside, R.I. and played at Providence College, as did general manager Brian Burke. Viktor Stalberg is from Stockholm, Sweden, but played collegiately at the University of Vermont. Recent signee Brayden Irwin also played at Vermont, and made his NHL debut with the Leafs on Thursday.

Injury Update: The Leafs are without defensemen Mike Komisarek (shoulder surgery) and Mike Van Ryn (knee surgery), who are both out for the year. For the Bruins, Savard is out for the year with a concussion and Andrew Ference remains sidelined with a groin injury/hernia. Shawn Thornton sat out Thursday’s game against Florida with an upper-body injury but returned to practice yesterday and should be available for this one.

Fight Card: There have been five fights in the first four meetings this year, with Thornton taking on Orr and Primeau, Steve Begin and Mark Stuart each fighting Jamal Mayers and Milan Lucic battling Orr in a much-discussed punch-up. Orr got the upper hand in that one, shattering Lucic’s nose, but Lucic still received criticism from some, most notable Don Cherry, for supposedly “quitting” in the fight. With Lucic now up on the first line, a rematch is unlikely, but it could happen if the score gets out of hand. Mayers has been dealt to Calgary, leaving Orr as the Leafs main combatant. Toronto is 10^th in the league with 54 fighting majors, but has none in the last five games and just three in the last 13. Orr leads the way with 21 fights, while the rest of the current Leafs roster has combined for just 16. The Bruins don’t offer much better balance, as Thornton also has 21 fights, while the rest of the Bruins current roster has a combined 18. Boston has 47 fights overall, but none in their last three games after having nine in their previous nine games.

Matchup to Watch: Milan Lucic vs. Dion Phaneuf. Lucic can’t spent all his time watching out for Orr, as he’ll also have to keep his head up when Toronto defenseman Phaneuf is on the ice. Phaneuf, acquired from Calgary in February, could take over for Komisarek as Lucic’s new sparring partner now that Komisarek is out for the season. Both Lucic and Phaneuf have suffered through disappointing seasons, with Lucic limited to just 45 games by injuries and managing only 8-8-16 totals and is a minus-16. Phaneuf has yet to score a goal in 22 games for Toronto after scoring 10 in 55 games for Calgary this year and averaging 16.3 goals a year in his four previous seasons. It’s not from a lack of trying, as he’s averaging 3.5 shots a game in Toronto after averaging 2.5 a game with Calgary. Both players are still throwing their weight around though, with Phaneuf piling up 182 hits this year (57 in 22 games with Toronto) and Lucic has 133, so there’s a good chance they’ll find each other on the ice even if they can’t find their way onto the scoresheet.

Three Keys for the B’s:

1. New lines, new results? – Claude Julien finally tried to shake things up in practice yesterday, moving the slumping Michael Ryder (1 goal in his last 18 games) down to the fourth line and Blake Wheeler (0 points in the last 9 games) to the third. Lucic is now on the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi, while David Krejci finally has some wingers who might actually give an honest effort in Marco Sturm and Miroslav Satan. Will the changes get the Bruins offense going at last or will they be too little, too late?

2. School the Frat Pack – Toronto has had success with a new line combination of its own, uniting former college stars Stalberg (Vermont), Christian Hanson (Notre Dame) and Tyler Bozak (Denver). Bozak is 1-3-4 over his last three games, while Stalberg has three goals in the last two. Hanson has yet to score a goal in 27 games this year with the big club, but did notch an assist on Tuesday.

3. Shut down Kessel, again – The Bruins have kept Kessel from scoring any goals in the first five meetings, as he managed just a secondary assist in the fifth game and is a minus-4 against his old club. But Kessel does lead Toronto with 30-25-55 totals in 66 games, and won’t have Bruins fans booing him every time he touches the puck in this one. The Bruins can’t allow the streaky scorer, who has eight goals in his last 12 games, to give his new fans reason to celebrate.

The Lowdown: The Bruins shouldn’t lack for motivation in this one, but they’ve come out flat in plenty of other games that had a lot on the line this year. Boston is battling for one of the final playoff spots in the East, and actually moved up to seventh last night when Montreal beat Philadelphia, 1-0. That pushed the Habs up to sixth at 84 points, but with just four games left. Boston sits at 82 points with five games remaining, while the Flyers are eighth, also at 82 points but with just four games left. The Rangers also won last night, beating Tampa Bay, 5-0, to move into ninth with 80 points and five games remaining, while Atlanta also has 80 points with four games left. Toronto, meanwhile, is still in last place in the East and ranks 29^th overall in the NHL with 71 points. But the Leafs are 10-4-1 in their last 15 games and are just three points behind Tampa, Florida and the Islanders. The Bruins own Toronto’s top pick from the Kessel trade, so they need to keep the Leafs behind those other teams and in position for a top-two pick, where Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin could help solve their offensive problems next year. Denying Toronto points might actually be more important than the Bruins gaining points in the larger picture, but with an opportunity to do both in this one, tonight’s clash has huge present and future implications for Boston.

Final: Toronto 4, Boston 3 (OT)

The Bruins earned a point on the road with their best forward and top defenseman out injured. Normally that would be a decent night’s work. Tonight it wasn’t. The Bruins blew three separate one-goal leads and couldn’t put away a Toronto team that has the second-worst record in the league. The Leafs’ advantage over last-place Edmonton is now six points, making this a double whammy for the B’s, who own Toronto’s first-round pick – a pick that now has less of a chance of turning out to be the top overall selection thanks to this loss. As for the Bruins’ own playoff hopes, they sit back in the eighth and final spot in the East again, two points behind Montreal, which beat Tampa Bay 5-3 tonight, and three points ahead of the Rangers.

Records: Boston 29-24-12, 70 points; Toronto 21-33-12, 54 points

Revisiting the Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Show some heart – Was that a flicker of a pulse? Nope. The Bruins remain flat lined. They scored three goals, which is usually about a week’s worth for this team, but still showed little life and almost no physical presence. After their embarrassing lack of response to the cheap shot on Marc Savard on Sunday, tonight was a chance to show some passion and a willingness to stick together and stand up for each other. Instead, the Bruins were out-hit 33-22 and allowed Tim Thomas to be run over repeatedly with no repercussions. Looks like this team won’t be satisfied until every decent player they have ends up on the injured list.

2. Step up for Savvy – One line made an effort, as the trio of Patrice Bergeron, Marco Sturm and Mark Recchi accounted for all three Bruins goals and combined for  seven points, 10 shots and a plus-6 rating. Pity they didn’t get much help, as the other “scoring line” of David Krejci, Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler had no points, two shots and were a combined minus-8, while nine other shot attempts were blocked or missed the net. Vladimir Sobotka, Miroslav Satan and Milan Lucic also managed just three shots, no points and were a combined minus-3.

3. Shut down Kessel, again – Phil Kessel finally got his first point against his old club in his fifth game against Boston, though it took some campaigning between periods to get a scoring change and an assist added to Kessel on Toronto’s second goal. He still finished a minus-1, but did create a number of scoring chances, including a pair of partial breakaways late in the third. He finished with four shots and had seven others blocked and two miss the net in 21:45.

Key Play of the Game:

The main reason the Bruins even got a point out of this one was Thomas, who came up especially big on Kessel’s back-to-back late breakaways. After Thomas stoned Kessel when he caught Dennis Wideman up ice with 4:16 to play, Kessel again took advantage of Wideman, getting behind him and coming in alone with 2:20 left in regulation. This time Thomas stacked the pads and made the stop despite losing his mask as Kessel and Wideman crashed into him, keeping the game tied at 3-3 and allowing the Bruins to at least salvage one point.

Fight Card:

There were no fights in this one, with the closest thing a brief shoving match between Wideman and Mikhail Grabovski late in the third. Other than that, the Bruins were once again on their best behavior. Apparently it’s OK to take hooking and holding penalties all they want, but heaven forbid the Bruins actually show some emotion and intensity with a scrap that could possibly put them short-handed, or you know, end up with matching majors like 99 percent of fights.

Flynn’s Finest:

As mentioned, the new top line of Bergeron, Sturm and Recchi at least showed up for this one. Bergeron had a goal and an assist, along with two hits, three takeaways and won 14 of 21 face-offs (67 percent) and was a plus-2 in 19:45. Sturm added his 20^th goal – off a perfect one-touch pass from Recchi – as well as an assist and a team-high five shots while finishing a plus-2 in 19;14. Recchi had a goal and two assists with three shots and a blocked shot to finish plus-2 in 18:04. … Mark Stuart was a minus-1 and took a minor for tripping that gave Toronto a 5-on-3, but also played a season-high 24:15 and had a monster eight blocked shots. … Dennis Seidenberg also picked up his first point as a Bruin with an assist to go with six blocked shots of his own and three hits in 26:45. … Jeff Penner played a simple game in his NHL debut, making no glaring mistakes as he finished even with three hits in 9:17. … The penalty kill remained as effective as always, as Toronto was 0 for 3 on the power play, including a 50-second two-man advantage. The Leafs had just four power-play shots, while Boston managed a pair of shots while short-handed.

Flynn’s Sin Bin:

Other than the Bergeron line, the rest of the forwards contributed little offensively. Krejci created a few chances, including a 2-on-1 with Wheeler with 10 seconds left in regulation, but his pass went off Wheeler’s skate. Krejci finished a minus-3 with no shots in 20:20, and won just 7 of 15 draws (47 percent) for good measure. Ryder was also a minus-3 with no shots in 13:51, while Wheeler was minus-2 with two shots in 17:33, but also took a bad offensive-zone hooking penalty in the first. Ryder also took out Thomas on the winning goal. He was attempting to make a diving backcheck to break up a 2-on-1, but he ended up sliding into Thomas and Nikolai Kulemin flipped the puck into the open net for the win. … Wideman had one of his worst games of the season, which is saying something considering the miserable year he’s had. He did have an assist and five blocked shots, but was a minus-2 with three giveaways. He, along with Stuart, failed to clear a rebound in the crease before Toronto’s goal to tie it at 3-3 at 7:13 of the third. He also screened Thomas on Toronto’s second goal and allowed Kessel to get behind him for two late breakaways. In addition, Wideman fell down in the offensive zone and lost control of the puck, then didn’t get back in the play as Toronto’s ensuing odd-man rush led to the winning goal in overtime. Worst of all, Wideman was the closest Bruin late in the second when Luca Caputi ran over Thomas. Rather than go after Caputi, Wideman instead chose to whine to the ref looking for a call. No one else came to Thomas’ aid either, not then or on any of the several other occasions when the Leafs crashed his crease with impunity. Despite all the miscues, Wideman ended up playing a game-high 29:13. Someone had to pick up the slack in ice-time with Zdeno Chara out injured, but wasn’t there anyone better than Wideman? … Matt Hunwick wasn’t much better, again a common theme this year. He was a minus-1, didn’t get back in time to prevent a 2-on-1 that led to Toronto’s first goal by former Bruin Wayne Primeau and also had a brutal giveaway early when he threw the puck up the middle blindly from behind his own net. Carl Gunnarsson picked off the pass and beat Thomas with a shot, but it clanged off the post. … The fourth line of Steve Begin, Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille, the supposed “energy line”, managed just one hit (by Paille). … Lucic hit a post with a shot through Luke Schenn’s legs, but didn’t get any shots on net. He was also a minus-1, took a bad hooking penalty and his turnover led to Primeau’s goal on the 2-on-1.

Next: The Bruins continue their seven-game road trip at Philadelphia on Thursday.

Matchup: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. (NESN; 98.5 FM)

Records: Boston 29-24-11, 69 points; Toronto 20-33-12, 52 points

Past History: The Bruins rolled in the first meeting of the year, winning 7-2 on Dec. 5 as Marc Savard scored a hat trick and the Bruins thrilled their fans by shutting out Phil Kessel in his return to Boston. Kessel was pointless again on Dec. 10 when Boston downed the Leafs again at the Garden, 5-2. The Leafs gained a measure of revenge with a 2-0 win in Toronto on Dec. 19, while the Bruins needed a shootout goal from Miroslav Satan to earn the second point against the Leafs last Thursday in a 3-2 win. All-time, the Bruins now hold a 275-253-98-5 edge overall, but are 102-159-51-3 in Toronto.

Bruins Connections: Toronto has become a haven for former Bruins. Enforcer Colton Orr became a cult hero despite playing just 20 games in 2005 before being waived, while Kessel won’t be remembered quite so fondly after bolting Boston for the big money in Toronto this offseason. Wayne Primeau was here from 2005-07 after arriving as part of the return for Joe Thornton.

New England Ties: Toronto coach Ron Wilson hails from Riverside, R.I. and played at Providence College, as did general manager Brian Burke. Viktor Stalberg is from Stockholm, Sweden, but played collegiately at the University of Vermont.

Injury Update: The Leafs are without defensemen Mike Komisarek (shoulder surgery) and Mike Van Ryn (knee surgery), who are both out for the year. Mikhail Grabovski is on injured reserve with a broken wrist, while Fredrik Sjostrom is questionable with an upper-body injury. For the Bruins, Savard is out indefinitely with a concussion after Matt Cooke’s cheap shot on Sunday, while Andrew Ference remains out with a groin injury. The Bruins recalled Jeff Penner on an emergency basis, so another defenseman is likely questionable as well. The Bruins should have Tuukka Rask back from a knee injury, as Dany Sabourin was returned to Providence.

Fight Card: There have been five fights in the first four meetings this year, with Shawn Thornton taking on Orr and Wayne Primeau, Steve Begin and Mark Stuart each fighting Jamal Mayers and Milan Lucic battling Orr. Mayers has been dealt to Calgary, leaving Orr as the Leafs main combatant, though he got some help this weekend with the recall of Jay Rosehill. Toronto is seventh in the league with 51 fighting majors, including 13 in its last 10 games. Boston is tied for 15^th with 38 fights, with eight in its last nine games.

Matchup to Watch: Shawn Thornton vs. Colton Orr. The heavyweights have gone twice before, in the first meeting this season and last year while Orr was still with the Rangers. But there’s unfinished business here. Thornton wasn’t happy seeing Orr smash Lucic’s nose and take on Begin for a clean hit on Thursday, and Orr was similarly displeased with Thornton choosing to go after Primeau. Add in the Bruins’ need to atone for their failure to stand up for Savard after Cooke’s cheap shot and Orr challenging everything in sight of late, and the stage should be set for another heavyweight clash.

Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Show some heart – The Bruins need points desperately, but they also have to show that truly are a team, one that will play with passion and stick up for each other. They’ve failed at that most of this season, most egregiously on Sunday with their lack of response to the cheap shot on Savard. Toronto plays a very physical style with several players, though no where as gutless as Cooke, have been known to deliver some questionable hits (cough*Dion Phaneuf*cough, see this preseason hit for example, and note the appropriate response from the Islanders), so the Bruins may get a quick shot at redemption if they don’t keep their heads up.

2. Step up for Savvy – The Bruins don’t have anyone who can replace Savard’s playmaking abilities. Instead, they’re going to need everyone to contribute a little more. That’s not exactly good news, considering the Bruins were the NHL’s lowest scoring team with Savard, but it is reality. And the Bruins can’t accept continued underachievement from the rest of their forward corps.

3. Shut down Kessel, again – The Bruins have kept Kessel off the scoresheet in the first four meetings, as he has 0-0-0 totals and is a minus-3 against his old club. But Kessel does lead Toronto with 22 goals in 53 games, and won’t have Bruins fans booing him every time he touches the puck in this one. The Bruins can’t allow the streaky scorer to get on a roll and give his new fans reason to celebrate.

The Lowdown: The Bruins ended a 10-game home losing streak against the Leafs last week. Now they’re looking to bounce back from a disheartening loss against Toronto, which is dead last in the East and just 11-14-5 at home. The Bruins are 15-11-5 on the road, winning five straight away from the Garden before Sunday’s loss in Pittsburgh. Toronto limps in having gone 1-4-1 in its last six games, scoring just eight goals while allowing 19 in that span. The Bruins currently sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, just two points ahead of the Rangers, with Atlanta and Tampa Bay also within four points. Boston also has some added incentive in this one, as they own Toronto’s first- and second-round picks from the Kessel trade. The Leafs are just four points ahead of Edmonton, which has the worst record in the NHL. So a Bruins win not only helps their own playoff chances, but also could help them land the top pick in the June.

Final: Boston 3, Toronto 2 (Bruins win shootout, 1-0)

The Bruins finally earned a win on Garden ice in 2010. It just took until March to do it. And it took a visit from the worst team in the East, a Toronto squad which has now lost 12 straight on the road. And the Bruins still needed to go to a shootout to do it. Boston moved back into seventh place with the win, but there are three teams just one point behind them, so Boston’s hold on a playoff spot remains tenuous.

Records: Boston 28-23-11, 67 points; Toronto 19-32-12, 50 points

Revisiting the Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Get past the deadline doldrums – The Bruins came out strong in this one, even if Michael Ryder’s goal 1:03 in was waved off for being kicked in. The Bruins still got the first goal later in the first, and did play with some energy, but their play was also extremely sloppy as Toronto had numerous odd-numbered chances.

2. Shut down Kessel, again – The Bruins kept Phil Kessel scoreless for the fourth time this season. More accurately, Tim Thomas kept Kessel scoreless in this one, as the ex-Bruin had plenty of scoring chances. He finished with four shots and clanged another off the post. Among his chances was a clean breakaway off a Blake Wheeler giveaway in the final minute of the first, but Thomas robbed him with a pad save. Thomas also denied him in the shootout, which is usually Kessel’s specialty.

3. Hall monitor – The Bruins got the two points they needed to bolster their playoff hopes, but they shouldn’t be happy about squandering a third-period lead that allowed Toronto to steal a point of its own. The Bruins should be plenty motivated to keep the Leafs from earning any points, as Boston owns Toronto’s first-round pick from the Kessel deal and the Bruins would love to see the Leafs finish dead last and give Boston a shot at prized prospect Taylor Hall, who could be the long-term solution to Boston’s scoring woes.

Key Play of the Game:

Thomas made plenty of big saves, as the Bruins’ sloppy defensive play had him facing a steady stream of breakaways and 2-on-1s, and that was before the shootout even started. But Thomas’ biggest stop came on Kessel’s clean break at the end of the first. Goals in the final minute of a period are always back-breakers, and giving up one to Kessel would have been especially demoralizing. Thomas’ big stop not only kept the game tied at 1-1, it also helped restore both his own confidence and the rest of the Bruins’ faith in him as he made his first start in more than a month.

Fight Card:

This was one night when the Bruins definitely weren’t making nice with their old teammates. While Kessel only had to deal with the crowd’s constant booing and a few shoves, Colton Orr dropped the gloves twice and Wayne Primeau once. Orr and Milan Lucic engaged in the marquee matchup, a true slugfest between two of the heaviest hitters in the league. Lucic deserves some credit for stepping up against one of the most feared fighters in the NHL and for getting in some good shots early, but Orr takes the clear decision in this one. He landed several big shots right on the button that had Lucic looking to end this one early. They eventually separated and Orr looked eager for Round 2, while Lucic was far more wary of continuing the confrontation. The linesmen jumped in and Lucic ended up going off for repairs, though he was back for the start of the second period and played the rest of the game. Shawn Thornton tried to avenge that loss by dropping the gloves with Primeau off the ensuing face-off. Thornton got the upper hand quickly as Primeau went down in a relatively uneventful bout. Orr then went after Steve Begin in the third after Begin laid out Primeau with a big hit. Orr snuck in a couple quick shots before Begin was able to execute a nice takedown, with both players attempting to continue to throw punches while on the ice. Thornton looked like he wanted to jump in to help Begin, but Primeau cut him off. Fighting majors weren’t given out in this one, with Orr getting a roughing double minor and Begin just two minutes for roughing.

Quote of the Night:

Thornton when asked if he was surprised the linesmen didn’t stop Lucic’s bout with Orr earlier:

“It was a good fight,” said Thornton. “If they wanted to stop they would have. They were still swinging. There was no real damage done. It was a good fight. They punched each other in the face for a few seconds and when they came apart I think the refs did a good job of getting in there.”

And the quote runner-up after all the fight talk: “And only one of asked about my assist,” said Thornton in mock outrage. “You guys, it’s the same old, same old.”

Flynn’s Finest:

Miroslav Satan has struggled to find his game since joining the Bruins in January, getting just four points in his first 16 games. But he’s starting to come around with three points in his last four games, including Boston’s first goal tonight. He then scored the only goal in the shootout with a nifty deke to his backhand. He played just 8:33 and had just one shot, but he made it count. Johnny Boychuk had Boston’s other goal in his first game since suffering a broken orbital bone against Vancouver last month. He scored with an absolute blast from the right point. Boychuk had a strong all-around game, finishing a plus-1 in 19:49 with three blocked shots and three hits, including a huge hit on Viktor Stalberg at center ice in overtime. Thornton came a goal shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick, setting up Satan’s goal and battling Primeau. After a miserable night on draws on Tuesday, Marc Savard bounced back in this one, winning 10 of 13 face-offs he took (77 percent). Begin dished out four hits, one of which was enough to draw Orr’s ire and earn the Bruins a power play, while Dennis Seidenberg was solid in his Bruins debut, playing a team-high 25;35 with two shots and a hit. Last, but certainly not least, Thomas earns huge kudos for his strong performance, showing little rust as he made his first start since Feb. 2 and almost singlehandedly kept Boston in the game as he stopped a slew of breakaways and odd-man rushes. Maybe that helped prepare him for the shootout, where he stopped all three Toronto attempts.

Flynn’s Sin Bin:

This space could be filled almost exclusively by Boston’s blueliners. One day after Peter Chiarelli opted to upgrade the defense with Seidenberg rather than add to his club’s league-worst offense, it was the defense that nearly cost Boston a much-needed win. Zdeno Chara had a game-high three giveaways, including one brutal flub down by his own net, and also didn’t exactly extend much of a welcome to his new defense partner as Orr labeled Seidenberg with a hit into the boards and Chara wouldn’t even meet Orr’s gaze as the captain slinked back to the bench sheepishly. Dennis Wideman was his usual sloppy self, finishing a minus-2 and taking a holding penalty. His ill-advised point-to-point pass led to a turnover and Toronto’s second goal. Matt Hunwick was even worse, as he was a minus-1 with a giveaway and a tripping penalty. His giveaway nearly cost the Bruins the game, as his inexplicable pass up the middle in overtime was picked off by Nikolai Kulemin, but Thomas came up with the save. Blake Wheeler was a minus-2 and his giveaway gave Kessel a breakaway, while Savard somehow missed an open net from two feet away, clanging a shot off the far post from the right crease.

Next: The Bruins begin a seven-game road trip at the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Matchup: Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN; 98.5 FM)

Records: Boston 27-23-11, 65 points; Toronto 19-32-11, 49 points

Past History: The Bruins rolled in the first meeting of the year, winning 7-2 on Dec. 5 as Marc Savard scored a hat trick and the Bruins thrilled their fans by shutting out Phil Kessel in his return to Boston. Kessel was pointless again on Dec. 10 when Boston downed the Leafs again at the Garden, 5-2. The Leafs gained a measure of revenge with a 2-0 win in Toronto on Dec. 19. All-time, the Bruins now hold a 274-253-98-5 edge overall, and are 172-94-47-2 at home.

Bruins Connections: Toronto has become a haven for former Bruins. Enforcer Colton Orr became a cult hero despite playing just 20 games in 2005 before being waived, while Kessel won’t be remembered quite so fondly after bolting Boston for the big money in Toronto this offseason. Wayne Primeau was here from 2005-07 after arriving as part of the return for Joe Thornton.

New England Ties: Toronto coach Ron Wilson hails from Riverside, R.I. and played at Providence College, as did general manager Brian Burke.

Injury Update: The Leafs are without defensemen Mike Komisarek (shoulder surgery) and Mike Van Ryn (knee surgery), who are both out for the year. Mikhail Grabovski is on injured reserve with a broken wrist. For the Bruins, Patrice Bergeron is day-to-day with a groin injury suffered during the Olympics and is expected to miss his second straight game.

Fight Card: It was a nasty affair in the first meeting, with Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton renewing acquaintances with Orr and Steve Begin taking on Jamal Mayers. Mark Stuart also dropped the gloves with Mayers, but both received just roughing minors. The same thing happened in the second matchup, but that time they went again straight out of the box to finally earn fighting majors. There were no fights in Toronto on Dec. 19, and Mayers has since been dealt to Calgary. That leaves Orr, who has 17 of Toronto’s 46 fighting majors, and Thornton, who has 16 of Boston’s 36 fights, as the most likely combatants tonight.

Matchup to Watch: Bruins fans vs. the limits of decorum (and creativity). Pity the vocal cords tonight. Who do the Boston fans boo loudest this evening? Do they once again jeer Kessel every time he touches the puck as they did in December? Or do they let the home team hear their displeasure for their disappointing season and management’s failure to add any much-needed scoring at the deadline? Decisions, decisions. About the only certainty is that the Garden will be loud tonight, and it will be nasty. This one won’t be for the faint of heart, or for anyone bothered by the kind of language that might offend a Teamster.

Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Get past the deadline doldrums – The trade deadline is always a tough time for players, and this one was no different for the Bruins, who witnessed popular teammates Derek Morris and Byron Bitz get traded away, then didn’t get the offensive help the club desperately needed. They have to shake off those disappointments and get back to business quickly.

2. Shut down Kessel, again – The Bruins spoiled Kessel’s first returns, holding him pointless in both games in Boston in December. That put him in a tailspin, as he managed just two goals in a 21-game span in December and January, but he did have six goals in the final six games before the break. Overall, he leads the Leafs with 21 goals and 217 shots in just 50 games.

3. Hall monitor – The Bruins have plenty at stake in the immediate future, as they are clinging to the final playoff spot in the East. But there are future concerns on the line as well, as Boston owns Toronto’s first-round pick from the Kessel deal. The Leafs would pick second if the season ended today, and the Bruins would love to drop them even further to get a shot at prized prospect Taylor Hall, who could be the long-term solution to Boston’s scoring woes.

The Lowdown: The Bruins have lost 10 straight at home and haven’t won at the Garden in 2010. A loss tonight would tie the club record for consecutive home losses set in 1924-25. Fortunately, Toronto comes to town having lost six straight on the road, and the Bruins beat them twice by a combined score of 12-4 in the first two meetings in Boston this season. The Leafs are even more unsettled after the trade deadline, as they engineered a string of moves to kick-start their rebuilding. They have some chips for the future now, but six of their top eight scorers this season are now with other teams. The Bruins head out on the road for a season-high seven-game trip after this one, so if they don’t win tonight, they’ll have to wait until after St. Patrick’s Day to have another shot at their first 2010 win at the Garden. More importantly, if they lose tonight, they’ll likely be out of a playoff spot again.