The Boston Bruins’ struggles got even worse Thursday night as they lost 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, their 10th in a row. They played well in the first period but fell apart in the second, allowing Montreal to control both the puck and the scoreboard. Here’s what went wrong and what Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm have to say about the team’s slide.
Bruins Collapse in the Second Period
The Bruins started strong, outshooting the Canadiens 8-7 in the first period. But the game turned 40 seconds into the second when Christian Dvorak scored his 11th of the season. From there, Montreal took over, outshooting Boston 14-0 before the Bruins got their first shot on goal with 6:28 left in the period.
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov was blunt when asked about the collapse.
“Everything,” Zadorov said in Montreal. “We didn’t win any battles. Couldn’t get out of our zone. We got one shot, and two shots on the net in the last five minutes of the period. The other teams are better than us. They want to win more. That’s it. We’re not hard on the puck. We’re easy to play against.”
Zadorov said the Bruins haven’t done anything right during their losing streak.
“We lost 10 in a row. I don’t think there are a lot of things going well out there. I don’t know what’s the most important. There’s a lot of things that’s important.”
Swayman Keeps Bruins in the Game, But It’s Not Enough
Boston’s Jeremy Swayman was one of the few positives for the Bruins last night. He made 27 saves in the loss. That included a real showstopper of a glove save on Alexandre Carrier. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to overcome the team’s defensive woes. Swayman is now 0-7-0 in his last seven starts.
Elias Lindholm scored Boston’s only goal late in the third period. He was frustrated, as you might expect. “We always seem to find a way to beat ourselves,” he said. “And right now, we’re losing a lot and turning over the puck way too often. Sway kept us in it, gave us a good third period—but there were a lot of things that just didn’t go right.”
What Needs to Change?
When asked about the way forward, Lindholm emphasized what he thinks the team needs.
“A 60-minute effort,” he said. “We haven’t had that in a long time. I think the last time we won a game, we actually had that kind of effort for a full 60 minutes. We play one period pretty well, and then… fall apart. Get outplayed. To win right now, we need 60 minutes of good hockey—that’s just how it is.”
Notes from Thursday’s Game
- Season Series: Bruins win the season series 2-1-0 after taking the first two games in Boston. They outscored Montreal 12-7 in those games, including a 6-3 win in the Centennial Game on December 1.
- Playoff Picture: Not mathematically eliminated but would need to win all 6 remaining games and get help from teams above them to make the playoffs. Montreal is 2nd in the wild card in the East. If the playoffs started today, Boston would miss for the first time since 2015-16 and Montreal would make for the first time since 2020-21 bubble season.
- David Pastrnak is a Beast: Pastrnak had the primary assist on Lindholm’s goal and has 20 goals and 22 assists in 32 games against Montreal in his career. This season he has 89 points (37 goals, 52 assists) in 89 games.
What’s Next for the Bruins?
The Bruins are back at TD Garden Saturday night to face the Carolina Hurricanes. NESN coverage starts at 6 p.m. ET. With the season slipping away, every game is a must win for Boston.