Now would be the appropriate time for Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli to mash the panic button.
Their Boston Bruins club is in serious trouble.
Tuuka Rask and the Bruins have been having trouble closing out opponents late in games. It happened again in Calgary on Monday night when the Bruins coughed up a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-3 OT loss to the never day die Flames.
Jiri Hudler scored twice to help erase a three-goal deficit and TJ Brodie completed the rally with the winner at 4:58 of OT to defeat the Bruins 4-3.
Where was the Bruins D? Where were the forwards? Where was Rask?
The Flames scored four straight goals after falling down 3-0. The shot through the heart came at the end of OT. A brutal loss to be sure.
David Jones also scored for the Flames (32-22-3), who have an NHL-leading 10 wins this season when trailing after 40 minutes. Calgary has scored 72 third-period goals, shared with the Tampa Bay Lightning as the most in the League this season. The Flames have allowed the fewest at 38.
One wonders:
Are the Flames that good or are the Bruins that bad?
The Bruins had to have scouted the Flames in recent weeks. Their forward and D are relentless. They don't quit. Their goaltending has ben great.
The exact antithesis of the Bruins whose goaltending has been mediocre. Their forwards and D appear to get overwhelmed by forecheck pressure and prolonged puck possession in their end of the rink.
Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug scored for the Bruins (28-20-8), who have lost four straight games and were 91-1-1 in games since 2011 that they led by three goals. Boston will continue with the third game of a five-game road trip through the Western Conference when it faces the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. They will run into Western monsters St. Louis and Chicago to end their 11 day road trip.
Claude Julien is running out of answers to his team's dreadful play of late.
"When things are tough, things are tough and you don't get the breaks," Julien told the Bruins website after the collapse in Calgary.
"We've got to keep working ourselves out of this."
Julien can use all of the clichés that he wants. This February flop isn't about "breaks" or "puck luck". Its about resolve, character, and determination to close out games. Its about other teams making Boston say "Uncle" first. Face it, the Bruins are not as big and bad as they used to be. Gone are the days that they can out hit, out work, out smart, and out will its opponents. The Bruins lost a ton of character and leadership when Boychuk, Ference, Thornton, Horton and others left for greener pastures. Chara and Seidenberg have been glacial at many stretches this season. Getting old sucks.
Rask has now lost 5 of his 6 starts in the month of February. He has allowed 15 goals against in those losses.
Svedberg has lost his only start in the month of February. He lost that game 5-3.
Goaltending is a part of the problem for the Bruins. The bigger issue is their overall team defense. They give up far too many scoring chances against Rask and Svedberg. The recent losses are symptomatic of bigger problems that is undermining the Bruins on a nightly basis. The aging Bruins are making mistakes against faster teams. They lack foot speed. Their D and forwards are losing far too many 50/50 puck battles. They used to kill opponents with their puck possession game. Lately, they are spending far too much time chasing down opponents who have won loose pucks.
The opportunistic Florida Panthers trail the Bruins by only four points in the wild card race. A Panthers win in Toronto tonight will cut the deficit to just 2 points. The Oilers will give the Bruins all that they can handle of Wednesday night. That's not going to be an easy game for the Bruins who will likely start youngster Malcolm Subban vs. the Oilers. If he plays, it will be Subban's first NHL start. There will be scouts from other NHL teams in the building to watch Subban, who has been the subject of trade rumors.
Talk about pressure.
Now would be a great time for Chiarelli to make a trade for a top six forward and a D-man. Buffalo's Chris Stewart would be a huge help for the Bruins in their time of need. Tim Murray can add D Tyson Strachan and a 2nd rounder to a trade.
The longer that Chiarelli waits, the more vulnerable his team will be. Opposing coaches will continue to exploit Boston's weaknesses.
The NHL trade deadline is March 2.
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Sabres fans are delighted that the Edmonton Oilers picked lost to the Winnipeg Jets in the shootout on Monday night.
Tyler Myers scored his first goal as a Jet to tie the game at 3. Myers had 2 assists in shootout win in Detroit in his Jets debut last Thursday.
Drew Stafford suffered an upper body injury in the third period and did not finish the game.
The 29th ranked Oilers now have 42 points to Buffalo's 35 points. The 7 point lead in the McEichel standings gives Sabres fans momentary solace. Things may get interesting from here on out as the Oilers starting goalie was injured and could not finish the game.
Oilers starting goalie Victor Fasth injured his knee after facing Blake Wheeler in the skills competition. Journeyman backup tender Richard Bachman had to finish the game. He was ice cold against Blake Wheeler and the Jets.
Ben Scrivens is also injured for the Oilers. His injured hamstring is reportedly feeling better. Scrivens may be the starter for the Oilers when the Boston Bruins visit Edmonton on Wednesday night.
Sabres fans have their fingers crossed.