Who will Bruins play in first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs? They'll find out Tuesday.

It’ll take Game 82 to determine who the Bruins will draw at the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Several postseason seeding slots have already been locked in with three days remaining in the 2023-24 regular season.

The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders will duke it out as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the Metro Division, while the Maple Leafs and Lightning are entrenched as the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division and the top Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference, respectively.

But even though both Toronto and Tampa Bay can’t move from their respective spots, they’re still waiting to find out whether or not they’ll play Boston in the opening round — with Game 1 presumably set for Saturday, April 20, at TD Garden.

Boston had a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division crown for good on Monday — locking them into a matchup with the WC1 Lightning — had Jim Montgomery’s team managed to beat the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena.

But with the Bruins dropping a 2-0 result to a desperate Caps team, Boston’s final game on the regular-season docket against Ottawa on Tuesday holds some serious sway.

As the Bruins battle the Senators at TD Garden, the Atlantic Division No. 2 seed Panthers will take on the Maple Leafs and potentially try to leapfrog Boston in the standings.

The Bruins (47-19-15, 81 games played) currently hold a 109-108 edge in points over the Panthers (51-24-6, 81 games played).

Boston still has several avenues available when it comes to winning the Atlantic (and setting up a meeting with the Lightning). A win over Ottawa, a Panthers loss to Toronto in regulation, or Boston and Florida both losing in overtime would lock Boston into that top spot in the Atlantic.

Of course, a Bruins loss to the Sens in regulation and a Panthers win over the Leafs would flip Boston and Florida’s spot in the Atlantic. But even a Bruins regulation loss and a Panthers loss in OT would result in Boston getting bumped down to the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic.

Yes, the Bruins might hold a 4-0-0 record against the Panthers during regular season play in 2023-24. But if Boston and Florida both end the year with the same amount of points, the Panthers will win that tie-breaker on account of having more regulation wins.

So if the Bruins are focused on winning the Atlantic and setting up a best-of-seven meeting with the Bolts, a win on Tuesday is the easiest path forward.

There is a compelling case to be made that the Bruins should opt for the alternative — dropping Tuesday’s game to Ottawa and sliding down the standings in order to play the Maple Leafs instead in the first round.

Boston has had its fair share of triumphs over the Leafs during the postseason over the last 10+ years. But the Bruins have also won seven straight games against a Toronto team loaded with talent — but still saddled with a few flaws, especially in the D zone.

Even though Tampa might be a wild-card team, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch — especially with Andrei Vasilevskiy finding his form in net after undergoing back surgery earlier this season.

Both the Maple Leafs and Lightning figure to be tough outs for the Bruins in the first round, especially given their elite top-six talent. But Tampa’s physicality, winning pedigree, and Vasilevskiy’s resume might make Toronto the preferable opponent for Boston.

Of course, the Bruins know all too well from last spring that chasing matchups in the postseason can often be a fruitless exercise.

Regardless of who they draw, the Bruins will have their work cut out for them against either Toronto or Tampa. And they’ll finally get an answer about their anticipated first-round foe on Tuesday night.