SUNRISE, Fla. — A few thoughts and shots high off the glass following the Bruins’ 4-0 loss Tuesday in Tampa, only the third time this season the Black and Gold have been kept off the scoreboard.
■ Game No. 79, their 18th regulation loss of the season, turned into a working night off for the Bruins.
Bodies present, minds absent, and execution followed in lockstep.
“We kind of slept through [it] a little bit,’’ admitted a glib Brad Marchand, following a 30-minute workout here at the BB&T Center Wednesday. “They were hungry. We weren’t prepared to match their tenacity and their game plan and it bit us in the end.’’
The Bruins have rallied back from some significant deficits this season and won. Exhibit A: Feb. 20 in Edmonton, where they entered the third period in a 2-0 hole and knocked home three to win it. Exhibit B: March 13 in Raleigh, N.C., where they trailed, 4-1, early in the third and ran off five goals — three by David Pastrnak — to notch their 44th win this season.
Not a prescription for success, according to Marchand, the All-Star left winger.
Particularly when the postseason begins.
“It’s not going to happen every night,’’ said Marchand, asked why he felt the club couldn’t find the emotional trigger point vs. the Lightning, who took a 3-0 lead in the second period. “We can’t expect to be down a couple of goals and come back — especially against a team like Tampa. When they get up a couple of goals, they are going to keep that lead. You are playing with fire if you think you are going to get down like that and win. It’s not the way it is in this league. We didn’t deserve to win last night.’’
■ The game here Thursday night vs. the Panthers could go a long way in shaping the postseason pairings. Then again, we might have to wait around until after the Bruins play the Panthers again Sunday night at the Garden in the regular-season wrap-up to know Boston’s dance partner in Round 1.
As of Wednesday morning, both the Lightning and Bruins stood atop the East with 110 points, albeit with the Bruins holding a game in hand. One of them ultimately will finish second overall, and second in the Atlantic Division, leaving them to face the Maple Leafs (locked into third) in Round 1 of the playoffs.
The club that finishes No. 1 in the East will draw the weakest (by record) of the two wild cards. The Flyers, with 94 points, held that spot entering Wednesday. But that could change quickly. Four clubs (Columbus, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Florida) all have a shot at finishing as the No. 8 seed. All we know for sure is that one of them will miss the cut.
No matter the opponent, the Bruins will play Game 1 at the Garden next Thursday night and Game 2 will be on Causeway Street, likely next Saturday.
“We have three games [to go], and we want to win all of them,’’ said Pastrnak. “And see how we end. Obviously it would be nice. It is something we work the whole season for, you know, to get ourselves a good spot.’’
If the Bruins do run the table, collecting six points over their final three games, they are assured the No. 1 spot in the conference.
Kuraly will sit again
Rookie center Sean Kuraly, pivot on the high-energy Trench Connection line, will miss his fifth straight game because of injury. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Kuraly and fellow injured forward Riley Nash have yet to resume skating, leaving both in peril of not playing again before the postseason.
The Trench Connection, with Tim Schaller (LW) and Noel Acciari (RW) on the flanks, noticeably loses its pop without the speedy, dogged Kuraly in the middle.
Tommy Wingels can move in there (Cassidy: “same flavor’’), but the three regulars (with a total of 27 goals and 45 points) have made up one of the league’s best fourth lines throughout the season.
“He’s really reliable, and Noel and I have been reading off of him really well all year,’’ said Schaller, who leads the trio with 12 goals. “His speed obviously is unlike most of the guys’ in the league, so we definitely miss his speed and his work ethic and all that stuff. We’ve got guys who fill in and do a good job and whatnot, but his speed is definitely missed in the middle.’’
Acciari, a fellow Providence College alum with Schaller, is the line’s heavy hitter. Kuraly is the burner. Schaller is the more accomplished stickhandler and finisher.
“It’s kind of funny how that works,’’ said Schaller, noting how, on a night-to-night basis, the lead point of energy for the line varies among the three. “One game maybe Noel will be hitting little more, or maybe one night Sean will be using his speed, and then me, wherever I fall into play there. But either way, we all feed off one another and it’s really fun. We are reliable together, predictable, and that makes it easier for all three of us.’’
Not ruling out Nash
Rick Nash, you ask?
The power forward, not seen in a game since March 17, skated Tuesday in Boston for only a second time since having to pull out of the lineup following a morning workout on March 19.
Cassidy noted that a second day on skates was encouraging for the ex-Ranger, but the coach remained guarded about how soon the 33-year-old might be able to return to action.
“I guess, now that he’s skating . . . ,’’ said Cassidy, pausing when asked if Nash could play this weekend. “Not speaking out of turn, there would be a chance. I am not saying he will or won’t, but he obviously is closer than he was three days ago when he wasn’t skating. So, I guess.’’
The protracted guesswork around Nash has led to a widely held belief (possibly incorrect) among the media corps that he is concussed. Once back (if), he would likely rejoin a No. 2 line with David Krejci at center and either Ryan Donato or Jake DeBrusk on the left side.
Net decisions
Tuukka Rask, who saw his 10-0-1 streak end in Tampa, will draw the net chores here vs. the Panthers. Cassidy said Anton Khudobin will get at least one of the starts over the weekend (Ottawa on Saturday, then Florida), but the steady backup could get both starts if the playoff seedings have crystallized. Khudobin is riding a season-worst five-game losing streak (0-2-3), allowing 16 goals in that span . . . Cassidy may opt to add Adam McQuaid’s size to the back line vs. the Panthers, which would boot either rookie Matt Grzelcyk or Nick Holden to the press box . . . Wingels, recovering from a slash to one of his hands, participated in the full workout and likely will be back in the lineup. If he is good to go, AHL Providence recall Colby Cave would get the night off.
Monitoring workload
Rask has played in 52 games this season, an ideal workload for the veteran stopper. “How important is the situation in the standings versus Tuukka’s rest?’’ said Cassidy. “He could get an extra game. I think we’ve handled his workload throughout the course of the year fairly well, in terms of not overplaying him, so if he feels, and we feel, that he should play, then he will.’’ . . . Riley Nash, who needed 40 stitches for a cut around the ear sustained last Saturday vs. Florida, has not resumed skating . . . The Bruins carry a 22-11-7 (51 points) road record into Thursday’s game . . . Top junior prospects Jack Studnicka (F) and Kyle Keyser (G) are expected to report to AHL Providence on Thursday. Their season with OHL Oshawa wrapped up on Saturday. Keyser grew up in the Coral Springs area, a short Zamboni ride from the BB&T Center.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
