After losing five straight games, the Boston Bruins were looking for a bounce-back game against the Anaheim Ducks. In a normal season, this would have been a win for the Bruins, but in 2025-26, this isn't a normal season.
After an underwhelming offseason that saw nothing but bottom-six forwards added, the Bruins dropped their sixth straight game with a 7-5 loss at the TD Garden on Thursday night. After a gut-wrenching loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, 4-3, with the game-winner being scored on a deflection off defenseman Andrew Peeke, Boston's response against Anaheim was going to be telling.
The Bruins had a good first-period response, opening the scoring 2:10 into the game when Casey Mittlestadt scored, but stop me if you've heard this before. Anahiem tied the game when a centering pass deflected into the net off Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Sums up the first nine games in a nutshell.
Each team scored two second-period goals before the Ducks took a 5-3 lead, before the Bruins tied the game with two goals 25 seconds apart from David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie. Then the most 2025-26 Bruins thing happened: Troy Terry scored the game-winning goal 30 seconds after Geekie tied it.
Defensive zone breakdowns, poor coverage on Ducks zone entries, penalties, and just complete breakdowns continue to happen. There is no end in sight for fixing it either.
Bruins losing streak has no end in sight
Six straight losses, yes, some have been tough to swallow, but let's be honest, this just isn't a very good hockey team. Consider me a fool for thinking that this team was built to make a run for the playoffs. They are built to be one of the front-runners for the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes.
You can't win a division in October, and you can't clinch a playoff spot in October, but what you can do is bury yourself in the standings and make it impossible to turn things around, get into the playoff race in March and April. That's what the Black and Gold are doing.
Their next game? A second game in seven days with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon at the TD Garden a 3 o'clock. Going into action on Thursday night at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, they still had not suffered a regulation loss yet. Regardless of what happens against Carolina, what makes you think they will on Saturday? Yeah, I know, nothing.