BOSTON — The Bruins have one more game on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens before the NHL’s holiday break.
And even though it’s December, it’s looked at as a must-win game.
“We need to win that game,” Nikita Zadorov said after Sunday’s loss to the Ottawa Senators. “We’re out of a playoff spot. That’s not where we want to be. It’s really tight in the standings but we know where we’re at. Nowhere near where we want to be as well, so we’ve got to show up against a big rivalry game.”
The Bruins’ loss to Ottawa marked the first time Boston lost three straight games at home this season. It was a game where more went wrong than right between Joonas Korpisalo getting pulled in the second period, defensive breakdowns and being unable to complete scoring chances.
“They had a better flow of the game. They had two breakaways our power play,” coach Marco Sturm said. “They were just mentally sharper than us (Sunday).”
The Bruins don’t have much time to right their wrongs, but Sturm knows it’s important to go into the NHL holiday break on a high note.
“We just have to find a way before the break,” he said before later adding, “You’ve got to find a way to get out of it right away and be more consistent,” he said. “You want to be consistent with that kind of schedule and traveling, all that kind of stuff. So you will make some mental mistakes. I know that. … But I’ve seen it around the league, so that’s just not us.”