Bruins' Skid Hits Three After Loss to Hurricanes

RALEIGH - The Bruins knew they would hit some adversity - even though for the season's first four months, it might not have felt like it. After avoiding consecutive losses through their 48th game of the season, the Black & Gold have now lost three straight games following a 4-1 setback to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at PNC Arena.
"We talked about facing adversity at some point in the year and here we are," said Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. "We have to face that as a team together and roll up our sleeves and learn from what hasn't been there the last few games."

Linus Ullmark, who made 32 saves on 35 shots, echoed Bergeron's sentiments, while adding that the Bruins have put themselves in a strong position to weather this bump in the road as they hit the 50-game mark with a league-leading 81 points and 38-7-5 record.
"We're lucky that we're in the position that we are," said Ullmark. "To face a little adversity is something that you do in this league. It's nothing uncommon. I've faced a lot of adversity through my career here in North America. I know what it's all about.
"We're in a great spot still. We've got one more game [before the All-Star break], try to go up to Toronto and win that one, then we have a break. Try to recharge the batteries and get on a heater again."
Boston fell into a 3-0 hole on Sunday evening, before Taylor Hall tipped home Pavel Zacha's wrister early in the third - just 1:25 after Seth Jarvis' breakaway tally - to give the Bruins some life. But the B's were unable to get any closer as they allowed a shorthanded empty-netter to Jordan Staal while on their sixth power play of the game with 4:20 remaining.
"I think they're good at pressuring you everywhere, the whole 200-foot [rink]," coach Jim Montgomery said of the Hurricanes. "They had a great checking game. They committed to it. I think their checking game led to turnovers because we exposed pucks; we didn't protect them well and do what you say, put it in behind them and go to work in behind them. Two of their goals, their first and their third goal, were direct results of that.
"Their work ethic and how hard they were to play against led to us being tired over time because we didn't have the puck a lot, we were chasing it a lot. They checked us really well and then they protected it well in the offensive zone."

Bergeron admitted that fatigue played a factor in the loss but noted the circumstances of being in a back-to-back on the final game of a road trip was nothing different than what every other team in the league faces at some point in the season.
"Yeah, I think so. I think you can't deny that," Bergeron said of the Bruins appearing tired. "That being said, you have to be pros and make sure you're bringing it every night. A back-to-back on the road, lots of hockey, that's part of it. That being said, nothing that other teams are not seeing. It's part of the schedule that we all have. We have to be better."
Boston is also searching for improvements on the power play, as the man advantage went a dreadful 0-for-6 against the Hurricanes, on the heels of a combined 0-for-6 showing across the two games in Florida.
"It's being on the same page, first and foremost," said Bergeron. "I think a lot of it tonight we kind of got away from it, being in sync and being on the same page. Again, they're a very aggressive kill. Same thing with Florida last game. We saw that we have to adjust to it and find ways to react to make quick plays and the puck needs to be off your stick in a split second.
"We all need to be ready for it. We'll look at it. Obviously, a lot of things that we can improve on, of course. It was sluggish, could've been a difference make tonight. We've got to be better as a unit."
Bergeron said that moving forward, the Bruins must lean on their historic first half and all the things they have done well to this point to help pull themselves out of their first slump of the season.
"You can rely on what we've done to help ourselves and realize what we want to accomplish and how we want to play," he said. "I think it's subtle. There's details here and there and fatigue at times. We're not getting in the areas that we should be getting at and we need to help ourselves."