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Bruins’ latest loss at Hurricanes shows importance of No. 1 seed in playoffs

Bruins' latest loss at Hurricanes shows importance of No. 1 seed in playoffs

Bruins’ latest loss in Carolina shows importance of No. 1 seed in playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It took a lot longer than expected, but the Boston Bruins are finally battling some real adversity during the 2022-23 NHL season.

Sunday’s 4-1 road loss against the Carolina Hurricanes was Boston’s third consecutive defeat — the first time that’s happened all year.

After beginning the five-game road trip with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, the Bruins lost a hard-fought 3-2 game to the Tampa Bay Lightning, blew a 3-2 lead with 48 seconds left in regulation and lost 4-3 in overtime versus the Florida Panthers on Saturday night and then lost the second of a back-to-back to the ‘Canes.

“I think you look at adversity as an opportunity to grow and get better,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told NESN after the loss in Carolina. “Once we come out of this, we’re going to be a better group. We’re going to be more resilient and a little tougher.”

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Luckily for the Bruins, they are about to get some much-needed rest. They have played five games in the last eight days, and three in the last four. The B’s won’t play again until Wednesday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. It’s their only game between now and Feb. 11 at home versus the Washington Capitals. The NHL All-Star break begins Thursday, and then Boston has its bye week. A week-and-a-half break at a tough juncture in the regular season is just what this team needs to recharge its batteries for the final 32 games.

Is fatigue a factor right now for the Bruins?

“Yeah, I think so. I think you can’t deny that,” Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron told reporters in Carolina. “That being said, you have to be pros and make sure you bring it every night. A back-to-back on the road, lots of hockey, it’s part of it. That being said, nothing that other teams aren’t seeing. It’s part of the schedule that we all have. So we have to be better.

“We talked about facing adversity at some point in the year and here we are. We have to face that as a team together and roll up our sleeves and learn from what hasn’t been there in the last few games.”

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Rest alone isn’t going to fix all of this team’s issues, though.

The power play is a mess right now, and it reached a new low point Sunday. The Bruins had six power-play opportunities and failed to cash in on a single one. They…

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