It was a performance that could put any general manager into immediate “SELL’’ mode.

On the eve of the NHL trade deadline — with Loui Eriksson’s situation still unresolved — the Bruins combined sheer ineptitude on special teams with a literal pratfall and came out with a 4-1 loss to the Lightning on Sunday night at the TD Garden. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Not only was the Bruins brass working to figure out exactly what they can afford to add and afford to subtract for the stretch run, the game came against the team the Bruins are trailing in the Atlantic Division. So, after showing signs of life in beating the Penguins and Hurricanes, the Bruins were right back to their old ways at home.

“That’s part of the story, I think, tonight was the self-inflicted mistakes that we made, the amount of breakaways and those kind of things,’’ coach Claude Julien said. “Special teams tonight — penalty kill wasn’t good enough for us and then the power play, although it did generate some chances, we didn’t produce.

“There was no doubt their goaltender was solid tonight, but at the end of the day it was a big game and we needed to be better than we were.’’

The Bruins allowed two power-play goals, one to Alex Killorn at 11:19 of the first period, and one to Ryan Callahan at 8:18 of the second. And they did not capitalize on any of their six opportunities with the man advantage. That divide killed them.

“It’s hard enough to win a game when one of the two aren’t going, but when you give up a couple and then you don’t score on any of them — I mean, we had plenty of opportunities,’’ Landon Ferraro said. “It makes it tough, especially this time of year. Special teams are such a big part. That’s where you’re going to win games and try and separate. And throughout the game tonight it just didn’t happen.’’

While the Bruins struck first, on a point shot from Kevan Miller at 6:01 with Ferraro screening Ben Bishop (32 saves), that would be the high point. The Lightning answered with the Killorn goal after a check-to-the-head penalty on Zac Rinaldo that could result in supplemental discipline.

And then the merely bad turned into the ridiculous.

As he was preparing to take a shot, Adam McQuaid fell down, losing the puck. Without any Bruins behind him, the Lightning were sprung on a two-on-zero, with Callahan beating Tuukka Rask at 14:39.

“Feet just came out from underneath me,’’ McQuaid said. “I know I’m not the fleetest of foot or the best skater, but usually I’m able to stay on my feet, for the most part, in those situations. I’m not really sure exactly what happened there.’’

Tampa Bay added on in the second with the second Callahan goal, just seven seconds into a power play.

And then came the final insult: a Steven Stamkos penalty shot. Not that all of it was the Bruins’ fault.

At 8:29 of the second, just after the team had gone down by two goals, Zdeno Chara was called for a mystifying embellishment penalty. He had been speared by Ondrej Palat, who was nabbed for the offsetting hooking penalty, but it was unclear exactly what Chara did to earn the embellishment call.

“I think that’s two embellishment calls we’ve had so far in the last probably week and a half,’’ Julien said, referring to a call on Friday in Carolina on Ryan Spooner. “Then this one tonight. It’s honestly a farce. You know we’re one of the teams that probably embellishes the least, in my mind anyway. We try not to. But there’s a lot worse in this league than those ones. So it’s disappointing. I say it’s a farce because it’s disappointing, to say the least.’’

It was after that call, which resulted in a four-on-four instead of a Bruins’ power play, that Stamkos broke free on a breakaway. Brad Marchand hauled him down, earning the hooking call that led to that penalty shot. That made the lead three goals, and the Bruins never recovered.

“It’s not the effort we needed,’’ Ferraro said. “They’re a team that plays with a lot of speed and a lot of skill and we didn’t take any speed away, especially through the neutral zone. If you give them that much time they’re going to make you pay for it and we showed it tonight.’’

That leaves the Bruins on the brink of the trade deadline in a tenuous position. They remain in the third spot in the division, but with little sense of exactly how they will play night to night, and without any assurances that they can be successful at home. The loss dropped them to 13-16-3 at TD Garden.

“We have to be better as a team,’’ Julien said. “And if there are some moves made, then we’ll have to deal with that. And if there’s not, then we’ll have to deal with the group that’s here and make it happen. We’re still in a playoff spot right now, so no reason why we can’t stay in it and be better down the road.’’

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @amaliebenjamin.