The Bruins went into first intermission of Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens scoreless. Boston got timely saves from Jeremy Swayman and the team was taking shots and keeping pace with its opponent.
But then things began to fell apart in the second period.
The Canadiens scored twice, the Bruins were outshot 14-0 until they put their first shot on net with 6:26 left in the period and things just unraveled for Boston en route to a 4-1 loss at Bell Centre.
So, what went wrong in the second?
“Everything,” Nikita Zadorov told reporters after the game. “We didn’t win any battles, couldn’t leave our zone. … The other team’s just hungrier than us. They wanna win more, that’s the bottom line.”
Interim coach Joe Sacco thought his team came prepared to play. But after the Canadiens scored the second goal, the Bruins mismanaged the puck throughout the second period.
“It seems to be a bit of a trend for us that we’re not able to sustain the type of game that we want in the second period,” Sacco told NESN’s Andy Brickley.
The 10-game skid has been the worst of the Bruins’ season. As noted by The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont, Boston has held a lead for just 2:24 in its last seven games.
While the Bruins have now lost 10 games in a row, Thursday’s game did feature some bright spots at times, including some big saves from Swayman. The goalie is 0-7-0 in his last seven starts, with his last win coming March 11 against the Florida Panthers. Boston’s skid certainly isn’t all on Swayman, and he’s looked better in his last two games.
“He gave us a chance here tonight, especially in the second,” Sacco said. “He seems to be, the last couple of games, finding his groove a little bit better. So, that’s a positive sign.”
The loss pushed the Bruins even further out of the playoff picture. They’re still mathematically in the race, but the uphill battle got even steeper after Thursday. Boston now must win the last of its six games and get a slew of help from other teams.
