The Bruins have blown third-period leads to lose in either regulation or overtime six times this season.
OK Boston Bruins, we have a serious problem.
This might sound like a broken record here, but this issue isn't going away.
For the sixth time this season (that's correct), the Bruins have blown a third period lead to lose either in regulation or overtime and this time it came against the Winnipeg Jets in 3-1 fashion Tuesday night at the MTS Centre.
The other five times are as follows:
Every excuse in the book can be made on why the third period breakdown happened again. And we can probably trump each theory.
Well, the Bruins didn't have centers David Krejci (day-to-day with leg injury) and Chris Kelly (broken tibia) then lost defenseman Adam McQuaid after the first period (upper-body).
Krejci and his linemates (Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton) combined for a minus-six rating in Boston's loss to the Penguins and all of them were on the ice for Brandon Sutter's game-tying and winning goals.
Kelly's line (Chris Bourque, Rich Peverley) finished a miserable minus-7 against the Capitals and were all on the ice when Mike Ribeiro got the Capitals on the board in the second period and for Eric Fehr’s equalizer in the third.
The defensive corps had to step up with the loss of McQuaid, but for some reason this season the blueliners haven't risen to the occasion when needed.
The worst showing was unquestionably against the Sabres where four goals were allowed in the third period (including an empty-netter) as coach Claude Julien said he couldn't remember the last time they played that bad.
We can't blame prospect Ryan Spooner who manned up for the task of filling in Krejci's shoes on the power line. That would be outrageous.
Statistically, Spooner (15:29 ice time - 3:34 power play - two shots, one blocked shot) didn't do anything wrong besides losing four of his eight draws, but we can't expect everyone to be like Patrice Bergeron.
Spooner doubled his ice time (5:29) from his NHL debut at Montreal on Feb. 6 and fared better in the faceoff circle (0 for 4).
What about Tuukka Rask?
The Bruins No. 1 netminder wishes he could have a re-do on Evander Kane's go-ahead goal at 12:41 in the third period.
Rask appeared dazed after Grant Clitsome's shot bounced off him and open for Kane to knock it home.
"I kind of saw the guy releasing it," Rask said. "Then I lost it. (Kyle) Wellwood or somebody got a stick on it. Then somehow it was going through me. I moved just an inch. There was a guy waiting for a pass backdoor and it’s a goal."
Postgame interviews sounded all too familiar. It feel like we've heard the same explanation a million times.
'We've got to be better...not good enough...work harder...etc.'
So here's the bottom line: If the Boston Bruins cannot close out game, you can forget about a deep playoff run because strong defensive-minded teams aren't suppose to cough up third-period leads.
Amanda Bruno can be reached at abruno@repub.com
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