VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Momma said there’d be days like this, but even a loving mom would have shielded her eyes over what she saw of the Bruins on Saturday night at Rogers Arena.
Paced by four first-period goals — the most allowed by the Bruins in a first period in nearly six years — the lowly Canucks smacked the Bruins upside the head with a 6-1 decision, by far the poorest, most disheveled Black-and-Gold performance of the 2017-18 season.
The ’Nucks time and again ran roughshod through the Boston defense, chasing Tuukka Rask out of the net after the first 20 minutes in the hurt locker.
Anton Khudobin soon surrendered the 5-0 lead in the second, and the Bruins didn’t cut off the bleeding until Tim Schaller, left wing of the Trench Connection Line, hammered home his 10th goal of the season at 2:57 of the third period.
It was the first game of a five-game road trip for the Bruins, who will try to shake off the stench Monday afternoon in Calgary.
Ex-Bruin Loui Eriksson scored twice for Vancouver, including a shorthander with 11:53 gone in the final period.
From the Bruins’ perspective, the night was over by the 18:39 mark of the first when Sven Baertschi gave the Canucks a 4-0 lead. The Bruins, perhaps for lack of anything better to do, called for a coach’s challenge, arguing that Bo Horvat knocked into Rask before Baertschi made his shovel from the slot.
After video review, the goal stood. Canucks, 4-0, on night the Bruins simply couldn’t get out of their own way.
The Canucks, their playoffs hopes all but mathematically zero, began the beatdown at 2:00 of the opening period, with Eriksson delivering from short range after Rask turned back two good attempts. Eriksson notched his ninth, and the Bruins never regained solid footing for the rest of the period.
Daniel Sedin bumped it up to 2-0 at the 10:54 mark, knocking home a puck from the left side into what was ostensibly an empty net. Again, the Boston defense stood at watch, this time allowing ex-Sabre great Thomas Vanek to lace a pass by Riley Nash low in the slot and put the puck on a tee for the sharp-eyed Sedin. It was only the fifth shot on Rask.
The sixth shot on Rask came at the 11:50 mark, and this time it was Horvat with the goal, his 15th this season. The hard-charging forward blue the doors off Charlie McAvoy as he barreled down the right side, and he finished with a quick lift over Rask’s shoulder for the 3-0 lead. Beatdown in progress.
Rask, beaten on four of the eight Vancouver shots in the first, remained on the bench for the start of the second period. It was the first time since March 13, 2012, at Tampa Bay that the Bruins fell into a 4-0 deficit in the first period.
Khudobin relieved Rask and it took the ‘Nucks only 2:44 to bump the lead to a five spot. Goal, Nic Dowd, only his second of the season, with help from linemate Jake Virtanen.
Brandon Carlo, who registered a team-worst minus-3 in the first period, was on the ice for the Dowd goal, dropping the sophomore blueliner to minus-4. Soon after, with 5:01 gone, Carlo locked up in a fight with Darren Archibald. It was only the second bout of Carlo’s career. He looked reluctant to throw down, but his frustration had the better of his reluctance.
Coach Bruce Cassidy, having seen enough of the Torey Krug-Carlo pairing, moved Carlo down to a third pairing with Matt Grzelcyk, and placed Adam McQuaid with Krug for much of the middle period.
Not that it mattered. All in all, a mulligan for the Bruins, who boasted a 26-18 shot lead through 40:00. Little solace compared to the 5-0 eyesore on the scoreboard.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.
