Boston Bruins: Hots&Nots on B’s 6-2 loss.

Dec 19, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Boston Bruins defenceman

(47) skates on the ice during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. The Jets won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins were coming off a two game win streak, and were hoping to add to that tonight. The Black and Gold played more like the Rust and Grey tonight. Another abysmal second period let the Blue Jackets to put up four goals in the second period. The Bruins fall to 18-15-3, and this loss certainly doesn’t make things look good in Boston. This may be the first time in a good long while that Claude Julien‘s job as the B’s bench boss may be in jeopardy.

So, here are the Hots and the Nots from the B’s 6-2 loss in Ohio:

Scott Hartnell. The Bruins gave that man way too much time and space, and he came back to the Blue Jackets in a big way scoring his seventh and eighth goals of the season for Columbus. Hartnell wasn’t properly covered, and the wily veteran made the Bruins pay twice. He maintained a net front presence during the game, and that type of play proved dominant over the Bruins.

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Bruins goaltending. We know that every once in a while Tuukka Rask is going to have an off-night. We also know that Niklas Svedberg is going to have an off night. When both goaltenders have a rough evening, it’s going to be a bad night in Boston. Both Rask and Svedberg had an .800 save percentage tonight. That’s adequate for a beer league in Brockton, but certainly not for a NHL team.

The second period.  Once again, the second period proves to be the bane of the Black and Gold’s existence. The Columbus Blue Jackets put in four goals to the Bruins one in the second period. The Blue Jackets chased Niklas Svedberg out of the net after their second goal in that period.

Milan Lucic and Dalton Prout.  We all knew this was coming. You could practically hear the ‘Star Trek fight’ music in your heads when the got matching roughing periods in the first. In the second, they were given a chance to resolve their differences. Both men responded with gusto, and haymakers were the order of the day. In the end, Lucic walked away with getting a few more shots in and the takedown at the end of the fight. Regrettably, it was probably the high point of the night for the Bruins.

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The Bergeron line. Patrice Bergeron put in a goal early in the match when the B’s were still competitive. It was an impressive piece of work by the B’s alternate captain. The B’s top line were the only line to walk away relatively unscathed on the box score, with all three players walking away with at least a +1. Bergeron got injured late in the game to literally add injury to insult.

Here’s the work Bergy did in the first.

The Kelly line. The Kelly line was a near no-show tonight for Boston. Only one shot from Kelly, and none from either Carl Soderberg or Loui Eriksson entire line during the game. They just weren’t on point tonight, and the scoreboard reflected that.

David Krejci. It was a rough night for the Czech center as well. When Gregory Campbell is beating both you and Patrice Bergeron for wins in the face off circle, it’s time to take a practice to work on face off drills. Krejci finished with just two shots and was a -2.

The trade freeze ends tonight at midnight. This didn’t look like a team that wants to keep their jobs. I’m sure that point was drilled in to their heads at the end of the game, and I’m certain it’s on the minds of a lot of Boston area sportswriters as well.