Bruins Lose To Predators, Give Away Game And Potentially Season

If the Boston Bruins have any desire to make the playoffs, they didn’t show it on Tuesday night at TD Garden, where they lost 6-3 to the Nashville Predators.

“We control what we can control,” Charlie Coyle said. “I say that right now, after that, we honestly didn’t control what we can control.”

Coyle opened the scoring with his 15th goal of the year at 4:25 of the first period, giving the Bruins an early lead that they soon gave away.

Just over a minute later, Pavel Zacha made a careless pass from below the goal line directly into the low slot and onto the waiting stick blade of Predators forward Tommy Novak, who snapped a wrist shot to even the score.

Ryan O’Reilly later put Nashville in front as the Predators ran over the Bruins on an odd-man rush to jump ahead 2-1.

Giving up goals soon after scoring one of their own was a theme for the Bruins all night, just as it has been all season.

Jordan Oesterle knotted the score for Boston early in the second period with his first goal of the season and first as a member of the Bruins. But once again, Nashville came up with another quick response as Steven Stamkos blasted a one-timer from the right dot past Jeremy Swayman (24 saves on 29 shots) to make it 3-2 Predators.

“Maybe we weren’t prepared to go from puck drop,” said Morgan Geekie. “The starts for them are one of their strengths, and we knew they’re going to come out hot. Just with where we’re at and everything, we knew we had to come to play, and I don’t think we answered that bell fast enough tonight.”

Geekie drew the Bruins even once again in at the start of the third, notching his 20th goal of the season to make it 3-3 with plenty of time left. But that was as close as the Bruins got as Jonathan Marchessault put Nashville ahead for good at 8:28 of the period.

O’Reilly then scored his second goal of the night, and Mark Jankowski hit an empty net to officially bury the Bruins, but they buried themselves long before then.

“We just weren’t ready to go,” Coyle said. “I really don’t have too many answers, honestly. That’s just one of the parts of our game that aren’t up to par right now.”

It’s an aspect that hasn’t been up to par all season for Boston and one of many that still aren’t.

The Bruins have now lost five out of their last six games. As their record drops to 28-27-8, they occupy 12th place in the Eastern Conference but are still only four points back of a playoff spot.

Even then, that seems almost insurmountable at this point.

“We came into the season with a goal, and that’s to make the playoffs,” said David Pastrnak. “That’s my focus. We just have to leave it all out there for the last 19 games and definitely perform better and try to win some hockey games.”

The Bruins will face the Carolina Hurricanes in Raliegh on Thursday.