Detroit gave up three straight goals in the third period after taking a 3-2 lead, officially eliminating themselves from playoff contention for the 10th straight season.
Now, with just one playoff spot left, it'll be a four-team race between the Metro Division's Philadelphia Flyers (92 points), New York Islanders (91 points), Washington Capitals (91 points), and Columbus Blue Jackets (90 points).
Boston lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 earlier in the day, but it didn't matter in the end. This is now their ninth playoff appearance in the past 10 years. They missed last year's playoffs after finishing with 76 points in the standings.
This now marks the second time the Bruins have missed the playoffs after finishing a season with 76 points, then making the playoffs the following year. The first time it happened was when they missed the playoffs following the 2006-2007 regular season.
They would go on to make the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals the following year.
As for the Senators, they're coming off a 3-0 shutout of the Islanders. This will now make it back-to-back seasons with a playoff appearance and the third time in the last 10 years. Ottawa had a streak of seven years without a playoff appearance.
Now, with two games left, the Senators have a chance to reach 100 points on the season for the first time since the 2006-2007 season, when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals.
