The Bruins looked tired in their 2-1 loss to the Predators on Tuesday. The passes weren't crisp, most of the shots weren't quality and the overall execution was just off.
After clinching the top spot in the Atlantic Division last week and with a chance to take home the Presidents' Trophy on Thursday, the B's understandably lost focus with their playoff fate having been secured for weeks.
Emotional games against the Lightning and the Hurricanes this past weekend showed the Bruins can perform against the best in the league, but there's no denying the schedule has tired the roster out.
"This is probably the toughest schedule I've ever seen or been apart of," Brad Marchand said to reporters. "We obviously took the [Predators] lightly. We seem to get up for the teams that we can potentially face here down the road. I think we were just a little disrespectful of the game tonight. Fatigue definitely comes into it, but we're in the situation where we're going to be tired moving forward but we still have to be able to show up."
Marchand in particular has seen his production dip as the veteran has scored just once in the month of March. The top-liner has also produced just four goals in his last 25 games.
The Bruins have played every other day since March 8 and will continue that way the rest of the season, except for a three-day break from April 3-5.
It's difficult to match the intensity of a team like the Predators consistently as well, who are fighting for a playoff spot. Thursday's win boosted Nashville closer to the second wild-card slot in the Western Conference as they trail the Jets by just three points.
"We weren't making the plays that are typically there, some of that is Nashville and how they defended the middle of the ice, they did a great job," B's head coach Jim Montgomery said. "Some of it was just us not being clean so we tried to simplify it."
Now, the Bruins are on pace for a historical mark in total wins for a reason, they've won a lot of games. But it's impossible for any team to have their best for a full 82-game season. This year, the B's have won numerous games they shouldn't have because even an off-night for them is still better than most teams.
Results tend to even out in that way at this point in the season for teams like the Bruins because it's hard not to look ahead to the playoffs. Unless the B's lose the rest of their games and the Hurricanes erase a 16-point cushion for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins aren't exactly playing for anything significant here.
It'll be interesting to see how the Bruins respond against a team completely out of the playoff picture on Thursday when they play the Blue Jackets. It'll be another mental challenge against a team they are unquestionably better than, however Columbus has a lot of young talent that'll be looking to prove themselves.
"To me we just didn't play to our standard, to our process, to our details," Patrice Bergeron said. "When you do that you force plays and you don't really respect the way that you want to play the game and kind of get away from how you're successful. That's what you're going to get no matter who you play against."