In military terms, the Bruins are now on “short’’ time, with only nine games remaining until their discharge from the regular season. Whether their active duty is extended into May or June remains to be determined.
The first of those final nine short steps will be Thursday night, with Tampa Bay at the Garden, the Bruins still clinging to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
A week ago, it appeared the Black-and-Gold would breeze into the playoffs, but after a third straight loss Tuesday night, a 3-2 edging by the Senators, they are looking at the prospect of a third consecutive postseason DNQ and the inevitable upheaval that would follow.
“Keep playing like we’re playing,’’ mused No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask after the loss to Ottawa, which left the Bruins 12-6-0 since Bruce Cassidy took over the bench Feb. 7. “I think at this point of the season, there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves. Just go out there and make something happen.’’
The loss to Ottawa, in combination win Monday night’s 4-2 defeat in Toronto, rekindled a familiar lament for the Bruins. To wit: They had abundant scoring chances but couldn’t turn them into goals. Such lack of finish was a lament that turned mantra over the course of Claude Julien’s last 2-3 years here, and that ultimately led him to a new job in Montreal (where his Habs have retained their standing atop the Atlantic Division).
A couple of things have happened here. First off, the Bruins were bound to cool off. It was barely a .500 club (26-23-6) when Cassidy took over, and the 12-3-0 run into the middle of this month was, in part, a product of a jump start to the dead battery of their emotions.
It’s also true that opponents have adjusted to the new-look Bruins. For the first 8-10 games under Cassidy, it was a surprise around the league to see Boston defensemen jumping into the offense, firing shots from low in the zone. The sight of Adam McQuaid ripping in a one-timer from the left wing dot all but shook down the thunder from the Gallery Gods.
But if the key to real estate is location, location, location, the key to today’s NHL is video, video, video. There are now 18 game tapes of Cassidy & Co. out there, which means there are no secrets.
Cassidy will continue to tinker with his forward lines — in contrast to Julien’s more conservative approach — but the methodology isn’t going to change. The new Bruins play faster, identify offensive opportunities quicker, try to exploit them. Everyone else in the Original 30 has it figured.
Now, once again, it’s about the finish.
“We had plenty of odd-man rushes in the first period, we didn’t bury them,’’ noted Cassidy, whose club, despite a 26-13 shot advantage through 40 minutes Tuesday, entered Period 3 in a 2-1 deficit. “The frustrating part was our lack of finish.’’
Also, once Kyle Turris broke a 2-2 deadlock, the Bruins, no doubt tired after playing Monday, couldn’t summon a significant push in the third period. After enjoying that two-to-one shot advantage in the first two periods, they could only match the Senators shot for shot (8-8) over the remaining 16 minutes that followed the Turris strike.
In Toronto, the Bruins scored only once before the Leafs struck for a power-play goal with just under two minutes left in regulation. Again, a night lacking in finish. In both games, the Bruins were in position in the third period at least to tack up 1 point in the standings, but both times came away with nothing. Three weeks from now, 1 or 2 points could be the difference between making the playoffs or going home.
“I think that’s where the last two games have been disappointing,’’ said Cassidy. “We should have had points. It may not have been wins, but we should have been there at the end and playing 65 minutes or whatever it took to finish it.’’
It’s possible that general manager Don Sweeney will call out to Providence for a forward or two down the stretch. He summoned Sean Kuraly over the weekend, along with Noel Acciari (impressive on the fourth line with Dominic Moore and Riley Nash), only to ship Kuraly back.
For now, the only decision up front for Cassidy is whether to dress Jimmy Hayes or Matt Beleskey, both of whom have contributed next to nothing this season.
“These tight-checking games, like the last two, we haven’t found a way to score,’’ said Torey Krug, whose coast-to-coast rush for the tying goal (2-2) Tuesday was a thing of beauty. “Maybe we’ve got to get a little greasier, get into those dirty areas and win more slot battles.
“And defensively speaking, it’s the same thing — you want to win the slot coverage. And offensively we’ve got to do a better job winning slot coverage there.’’
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
