A tepid, tired, too-blah-for-Boston second period, with the Bruins outshot, 13-7, and outscored, 2-0, set the stage for the loss. It was a dramatic falloff from the emotionally-charged 3-2 win only 48 hours earlier in a banger of a Saturday night in Montreal.

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The win over Les Glorieux came with great cost to the roster. The Bruins lost No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy (status still not available) and veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson, who earlier Monday was placed on injured reserve with fellow forward Casey Mittelstadt. Carolina arrived with a deeper roster and fresher legs and bagged an easy 2 points.

Bundle it all up — loss of key players, the post-Habs emotional dip, and the grueling schedule — and what do you get? Answer: the flat second period, in which the Bruins time and again blew chances to move the puck out of their own zone. Two of those botched attempts led directly to the 1-0 and 2-0 deficits.

“It’s hard to be smart here afterward,” said defenseman Hampus Lindholm, asked if the second period was a function of mental or physical fatigue. “I don’t know exactly what it is — obviously it’s something we have to nip in the bud.“

Veteran center Jordan Staal and former Providence College Friar Mark Jankowski scored for the Hurricanes in a span of just over five minutes in the second, and a goal by AHL call-up Riley Tufte with 10 seconds to go in regulation ultimately spared the Bruins their first shutout loss of the season.

Former Bruin Taylor Hall (71) scored to give the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead in the third period.Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Former Bruin Taylor Hall knocked home the 3-0 lead with 2:33 remaining in regulation. It was Hall’s fifth goal of the season.

Jeremy Swayman, though sharp in the Bruins net, saw his five-game winning streak come to an end. He stopped 29 of 32 shots and made big stops early in the first and second periods. Eventually, there just wasn’t enough in front of him to prevent the inevitable.

Eternally optimistic, Swayman noted his pride and confidence in the night’s lineup, but added, “We miss our guys who aren’t here, let’s be up front about that,” before adding, “it’s an opportunity for guys who are all NHL capable.”

Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov went down to make a save against Morgan Geekie in the first period.Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The Bruins will board their charter flight Tuesday afternoon and head west to start a four-game road trip with stops in Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Long Island (the night before Thanksgiving).

McAvoy, who took a puck to the mouth in Montreal, is not expected to be on the trip. It would be a surprise if he does not require surgery, though neither Sturm nor the organization offered added detail as the building went dark on Causeway Street.

With four games in eight days, and Swayman the best he has been in two seasons, it would not be surprising if Sturm leans heavily on his No. 1 goaltender on the upcoming trip. There are no back-to-back games, which is a slight break. Swayman easily could start three of the four, and could be asked to go the full four.

He had a .923 save percentage in his five straight wins. His hot hand could make the difference on a nightly basis — precisely what a franchise hopes for from a franchise goalie.

The 2-0 deficit after the second period was only the second time in the last 10 games that the Bruins were in arrears at the 40:00 mark.

Staal, now age 37 and playing in his 1,347th regular-season game, potted the 1-0 lead at 8:25, shoveling in a one-hander near the right post. Career goal No. 303 for Staal, who entered the league as a Penguin and was dished to the Hurricanes in 2012.

Goal No. 2 by Jankowski looked a lot like the first. After the Bruins were called for icing, they won a draw in their own end, only to see the Hurricanes take possession and hold the zone. Hall squeezed off the first attempt from mid-slot and the 6-foot-4-inch Jankowski cleaned up the rebound Esposito-like for the two-goal lead.

The road beckons, after an optional workout Tuesday morning in Brighton. No time to rest. A lengthening, unforgiving injury list. It’s not even Thanksgiving, and it’s feeling like the dog days are upon the Bruins.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.