Brady Tkachuk’s goal only 21 seconds into overtime followed a third period that saw the Bruins out-shot 12-0.
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It remains early times in the 2024-25 season, but the Bruins’ results are beginning to grow old.
Again challenged to produce significant scoring chances, including a third period in which they failed to land a shot on net (their first third-period bagel since Dec. 21, 2006), they suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators at the Garden.
Ex-BU forward Brady Tkachuk drove home the winner, scoring only 21 seconds into the 3-on-3 OT, just a few ticks after Elias Lindholm finally landed the Black-and-Gold’s first shot on ex-Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark in nearly 25 minutes.
Following the defeat, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery kept his media session short, clearly frustrated that he has been unable to get better out of a team that was expected to be among the big dogs in the Eastern Conference once again.
To this point, the big dog hasn’t had much bark.
Montgomery was asked if he questions whether his charges are listening to him.
“No, I don’t question that,” he said.
The follow-up question asked the coach what he felt was preventing the message from getting through to the team.
“It’s up to you guys to figure that out — come up with the reason,” he said to the assembled media. “We just weren’t good enough. You guys can write, but . . . what you think is the malaise on the team and what’s going on? We’re just not playing well enough.”
The loss, in which the Bruins lost hold of a 2-1 lead late in the second period, again prevented the Bruins (7-7-2) from nosing above the .500 mark. They have not been north of break-even since their 5-3 win in Denver on Oct. 16, going 4-5-2 since.
They still have 66 games to go in the regular season, but some five weeks into the schedule, everyone in the organization has to be troubled by the results thus far, specifically the club’s overall lack of emotional spark.
“We have to look internal,” said team captain Brad Marchand, whose goal early in the second provided the 2-1 lead, “and understand that we need to be accountable and better in certain areas throughout the game — expect more from ourselves. I don’t think you can point to X’s and O’s, it has to come from will and determination at this point.”
Asked about the club’s consistent inability to tap into a productive emotional level, the captain said it’s the players’ jobs to find ways to get there.
“We have to find ways to bring different emotion to the game,” he mused, “and whether you have to fake it til you make it, or find different ways internally or externally, whatever it is.”
“Our team,” continued Marchand, the last guy standing from the club’s 2011 Cup win, “is supposed to be a big, strong, aggressive team. We haven’t been showing that as of late.”
The Bruins were outshot, 12-0, in the final period of regulation — low entertainment value for the Garden faithful. They’ve had a hard time scoring all season. Now they are challenged to land shots.
In the old Garden, the leather lungs among the sainted Gallery Gods would have shaken down the thunder in protest. “Hey, Cashman, where’s that blazing slappah?”
In 2024, the faithful sit there, $16 beers in hand, awaiting the chance they’ll see their faces on the wicked cool video board above center ice.
With a the power play dying on the vine, it looks like time for Hampus Lindholm to wrest the No. 1 PP point job from Charlie McAvoy, who most nights, including Saturday, is too reluctant to fire on the advantage.