Bruins will be fine despite limping into All-Star break

As strange as it may seem, the Bruins are in the midst of a slump.

Boston has lost multiple games in a row for the first time all season, dropping their third straight in a 4-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Sunday. 

The Canes gave Boston fits for most of the game, taking away time and space as well as forcing costly turnovers, particularly on Sebastian Aho’s breakaway to open the scoring as well as Seth Jarvis’ slick insurance goal in the third. 

“I thought the problem was the Carolina Hurricanes,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said postgame on the NESN broadcast. “I thought they checked us right out of the rink. Give them credit, they competed hard. They really checked well and caused a lot of turnovers, which led to odd-man rushes. Two of the goals they got were because of turnovers.”  

The Bruins were sleepy through the first two periods before finding a sign of life with Taylor Hall’s goal in the third to cut it to 3-1, but it was essentially too little, too late.

“I think we were a little slow, especially in the neutral zone,” Boston captain Patrice Bergeron told reporters. “When we’re going against a team like that, they’re always going to be in your face, and you have no space. Credit to them. They play a good checking game, but I think once we started using our feet a little bit more, we were creating more in their zone. That’s how we have to play against them. The decision-making was a little too slow tonight.”

It was a concerning, yet not entirely unexpected response from Boston, who traveled to Raleigh, N.C., for their fifth game in eight days after blowing a late lead in Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime loss at the Florida Panthers. A nine-day break between games, including the All-Star break, is in sight after a Wednesday date in Toronto.

“I think [fatigue is a factor],” Bergeron said. “I think you can’t deny that. That being said, you have to be pros and make sure you’re bringing it every night. You know, it’s a back-to-back on the road. It’s lots of hockey. It’s part of it.

“That being said, it’s nothing that other teams aren’t seeing, right? So it’s part of the schedule that we all have.”

Boston has rarely been good enough over the course of the losing streak, especially at Carolina, but Montgomery doesn’t seem fazed.

“I think you look at adversity as an opportunity to grow and get better,” Montgomery said. “You know, once we come out of this, we’re going to be a better group. We’re going to be more resilient, and we’re going to be a little bit tougher.”

A lot is going wrong at the same time for Boston right now, and the break can’t come soon enough. Offense has seemed hard to come by, and the second defense pair of Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo has been pressing, getting out-attempted 14-34 at 5-on-5 and outscored 4-0 over the losing streak. 

The power play is grinding through an 0-for-14 rut over the course of the last three-plus games (0-for-6 at Carolina), struggling with zone entries, creating chances and fitting what former coach Bruce Cassidy would describe as “stubborn” play during such stretches in recent seasons.

The sixth-ranked power play (25.3 percent) is typically one of the Bruins’ most formidable threats, and Montgomery feels it will return to form.

“I think we just need a little bit of rest,” Montgomery said. “I’m not worried about it. Our players are too talented and too competitive.”

It’s certainly a shock to the system after Boston stormed out to a 38-5-4 record before the three-game skid, becoming the fastest team to reach the 80-point mark in NHL history. The B’s had rarely dealt with adversity for any sort of extended period, previously going undefeated in their first game following a loss. 

The fact the sky is seemingly falling as they are on a losing streak for the first time 50 games into the season on Jan. 29 is testament enough to the type of year they’ve had, where they are virtually a lock to make the playoffs no matter what. 

But no season is without adversity, and Boston is better served to figure out how to work through it at the end of January than in the middle of a playoff series in May. They certainly have the core in place to lead them through it, as we’ve seen many times before. 

“We have to be better,” Bergeron said. “But we talked about facing adversity at some point in the year, and here we are. So, we have to face that as a team together, roll up our sleeves and learn from what hasn’t been there in the last few games.”

Wednesday’s rivalry game at the Maple Leafs has suddenly become a lot more important, offering Boston the perfect opportunity to get right heading into the break.