CALGARY, AB – Absent-minded penalties, which have continually hurt the Bruins this season, have brought the losing streak to tie a season-high. The Bruins have been here before; the same thing happened to them in October, but it is back again just two months later. 

The Boston Bruins (20-18-2) fell 2-1 in overtime to the Calgary Flames (17-18-4) on Monday night.

Andrew Peeke (4) opened the scoring for the Bruins, but Blake Coleman (12) responded in the second period. Connor Zary (5) would win the game in overtime for Calgary, giving them their ninth home win in their last 11 games. The game was very defensive, with the Bruins laying out for 17 blocked shots; Calgary did the same for 14. The final shot total leaned in favor of Boston, 25-20.

Playing to their structure is something that Marco Sturm and Sean Kuraly said after the Bruins’ 4-1 loss to Buffalo. The Bruins showed the energy and passion that Kuraly had mentioned, and held this game tied late.

However, it was careless mistakes that cost the Bruins. The Bruins are the most penalized team in the NHL (538 PIMs, 152 times shorthanded), and it is not close. The Bruins took three penalties in the third period. The dagger, coming with no time on the clock, put Calgary on the power play in overtime and lifted them to a 2-1 victory on home ice.

The Bruins got off to a slow start. It took almost eight minutes for the black and gold to register a shot on goal. The B’s attempted four, but none of them challenged Dustin Wolf. Mark Kastelic took a tripping minor, and the Bruins’ penalty kill stepped up.

Alex Steeves took consecutive hits from Jonathan Huberdeau, and he went down the tunnel after his fourth shift of the first period. He would return for the start of the second period.

With just under two minutes to play in the first period, Mason Lohrei found Andrew Peeke at the left circle. Peeke would take it by himself and drive to the frame of Dustin Wolf. The puck squeezed through Wolf’s pads and into the back of the net, giving Peeke his fourth goal of the season – all coming in the last 11 games.

Calgary would challenge the goal and lose the challenge.

The first 20 minutes drew to a close with the Bruins leading 1-0. Although it took them eight minutes to generate a shot on goal, they finished the first period with eight shots, as did Calgary. The Bruins had two opportunities to test the league’s worst penalty kill, but could not connect on either chance.

The Flames would connect to tie the game in the second, and it would be Blake Coleman’s 12th of the season. Coleman collected the feed from Mikael Backlund and steered it towards Jeremy Swayman. The shot went through Charlie McAvoy’s legs. Swayman got a piece of the puck, but not enough of it.

The Flames controlled much of the offense in the second period; shots in the second were 9-7 for Calgary. However, the Bruins would block nine shots in the second period; Charlie McAvoy had four of them.

At first, it was the Bruins who struggled out of the gate to put shots on net. They were not the only ones; it took Calgary 14:26 to record a shot in the third. The Flames would only finish with that one shot in the third period.

Penalties, specifically stick infractions, would get in the way of the Bruins. Mark Kastelic and Hampus Lindholm got their sticks caught, and both would take hooking minors. The Bruins’ penalty kill was called on twice to keep this game tied.

Jonathan Aspirot, who returned to the lineup after missing the last seven games, took a poorly timed high-sticking minor. The game was winding down and approaching overtime, and Aspirot caught Huberdeau up high. The penalty was called at the 20:00 mark of the third period.

Calgary started the overtime with a four-on-three. The Bruins’ penalty kill, which had already been called on twice in the third, held their ground for the first 1:52. Yegor Sharangovich caught the puck and spun it on Swayman, and the rebound popped out in front of his crease. Connor Zary connected with the bouncing puck and put it through Swayman’s legs for the game-winning power play goal.

The Bruins’ penalty kill was tested and performed well at five-on-four. The Flames only had one power play shot in regulation. Jeremy Swayman made a big save in overtime, one of his 18 on the night, but it was on the four-on-three where the Flames’ power play connected.

The Bruins (20-18-2) have not won a game since December 16 against the Utah Mammoth. In their last six, they have gone 0-4-2. Their next chance comes on Wednesday night in Edmonton, in the third of the five-game road trip.