Bruins players have no answers after getting outclassed by Oilers

Bruins

“I think it was kind of a lack of urgency. A lot of things that kind of are embarrassing to say right now.”

On a night where the TD Garden crowd made their frustrated feelings felt by a chorus of boos and calls for the firing of Don Sweeney, a reeling Bruins team had little to say following their fifth loss in a row.

After struggling to score in close defeats to the Capitals and Rangers last week, Boston’s defense has now started to take on water as well — culminating in Tuesday’s uncompetitive 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

“I don’t have a good answer,” Elias Lindholm said of the lack of urgency against the Oilers. “We weren’t even close tonight. We were lucky we were down 3-0. … “A lot of disappointment. Embarrassed. A lot. Frustration. A lot of things.”

“I think that’s a question we’re trying to figure out,” Trent Frederic added when asked of Boston’s struggles with finding its identity. “I don’t have the answer for that, to be honest.”

The Bruins once again struggled to muster any semblance of offensive push on Tuesday — landing a measly 12 shots on goal through the first 40 minutes of play. 

The final score could have easily been far more lopsided had it not been for a few Grade-A stops from Jeremy Swayman (35 total saves). 

With this latest setback, the Bruins have now lost six of their last seven games since coming back from the holiday break — with an impressive 4-1 win over the Capitals on Dec. 23 feeling like a distant memory at this point. 

January was expected to be the true litmus test for the Bruins, who seemingly stablilized their game under Joe Sacco throughout November and December — while also taking advantage of a softer schedule during that stretch.

But over this recent slide, Boston’s lone win since the holiday break came against a rebuilding Blue Jackets team — and a goalie in Daniil Tarasov currently sporting an .857 save percentage. 

Since that win over Columbus, the Bruins have not strung together two points in any contest — coughing up 15 goals in their last three games against the Maple Leafs, Islanders, and Oilers.

Even with their pedestrian play, the Bruins are still somehow sitting in third in the Atlantic Division with 45 points (20-18-5 record). 

But the Tampa Bay Lightning — who have played five fewer games — are sitting just one point behind Boston, while four other Eastern Conference teams sit within four points of Boston and risk pushing the Bruins out of the playoff picture entirely.

The road isn’t getting any easier for Boston, with the Bruins heading to Florida to take on the Lightning on Thursday and the Panthers on Saturday. Boston then returns home to battle Tampa again at TD Garden on Jan. 14. 

If Tuesday was any indication, things could continue to plummet for the Bruins down in the Sunshine State if they don’t tighten things up down both ends of the ice. 

“They wanted it more,” Charlie Coyle said of the Oilers on Tuesday. “It’s pretty simple. I think it was kind of a lack of urgency. A lot of things that kind of are embarrassing to say right now. They just wanted it more.”