Lineup changes are likely coming.
For the first time in the past few weeks, the Boston Bruins lost some ground in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Clearly, the Toronto Maple Leafs prevented the Bruins from setting up any ground during Tuesday's crucial Atlantic Division matchup at TD Garden.
At one point, the Leafs had another 4-1 lead to work on Garden Ice. The Bruins struggled to provide any pushback in the second period, prompting Toronto to extend their cushion to 6–1 on a power-play from Austin Matthews late in the second period and producer David Kampf only 47. Seconds were different.
The Bruins continued to act disappointingly throughout Tuesday's swing. But he didn't help his cause from the get-go. He dug himself a hole and only had a David Pasternak first-period power-play marker, a Jake Debrusk second-period tip-in, and a pair of garbage time goals from Curtis Lazar and Taylor Hall to show for their sloppy effort. .
Here's what we learned after the Boston Leafs lost 6-4.
Bruce Cassidy hints at lineup changes after a night of puck mismanagement.
The Leafs may not have the fastest goals and defensive setup. Still, his speed and top-tier skills can make up for those giveaways at certain times of the season.
In that respect, the Bruins played right in Toronto's relentless counterattack.
The night began with Colin Backwell hitting his ninth goal of the season on the Jason Spaeza feed after Conor Clifton was traded to the Wall.
Clifton had another difficult moment in the opening verse after Alex Kerfoot blocked his shot attempt in the attack zone. Kerfoot sprung on the breakaway alone, beating Jeremy Swaman immediately for his 11th goal of the season, with 1:16 left in the first period.
Brandon Carlow also found himself flat in the running for William Nylander, as Morgan Reilly's rebound put Toronto ahead for good at 8:28 of the opening verse.
The frustration continued as the Leafs continued to go behind Boston's defensive structures. The Bruins suffered a five-goal deficit late in the mid-20s after Mitch Marner, Matthews and Kampf scored in the space of 8:21.
"We clearly needed to get better, and we have been," Cassidy said. "Against this team, you have to take care of the puck. We didn't do it early enough. Obviously we weren't ready to play, so again it's a shared responsibility. It's our job as coaches to do that. We prepare them to play and players have to be prepared to know the horrors of the game."
The night of defensive blunders falls on everyone. Still, Boston's bench boss has his sights set on a change in Thursday's matchup with the New Jersey Devils.
Cassidy plans to provide more minutes for Mike Reilly and Connor Brown sometime this week. Crashes from Tuesday may have triggered Cassidy's impending lineup decision on the back end.
“There will be some changes on Thursday; There should be,” Cassidy said.
"We may have done it anyway, so it may not be the end. But it certainly accelerated the process."
The swayamvara was not fast, but it did not get any help either.
In the midst of their poor performance, the Bruins could have saved a time or two from their rookie Netminder. But they often put Swayman in a vulnerable position against the skilled Leafs.
Swayman struggled to track down the puck for one of the rare times this year. He allowed more rebounds than usual. But whenever he was under pressure, his teammates failed to take him out.
The Bruins waited until the third period to tab Linus Ulmark for the relief fee. They wanted to see Swayman's reaction as the team entered frustration mode after Kerfoot's tally. With Swayman dry in the midst of a struggling performance, Cassidy made the switch and provided Ullmark with a little extra work before his next scheduled start against the Devils.
"He deserves a chance to go and get a huge savings for us because we need one, right?" Cassidy said. "You've got to take more chances, maybe not now, but somewhere in the second period to get back in the game. But it looked like we broke down in front of him, and [Puck] was just passing him tonight.
Swayman wasn't the only Bruin having trouble handling the puck. As a result, the Bruins find themselves in familiar territory, chasing down both the Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the standings.
The Bruins need to make more moves against playoff teams.
The Bruins appeared primed for their stink since a 4-1 loss to the Islanders in mid-February, clocking a stellar 17-game run on Tuesday. It just so happened to come up against a sharp Maple Leafs bunch.
Nevertheless, their performances against the current 16 playoff teams provided mixed results. For every tough effort against a team like Tampa Bay, there is a less than ideal outing against a team like Toronto. For every convincing victory over the likes of Colorado, Carolina has a trio of subpar performances against another elite team.
Tuesday's setback dropped the Bruins 12-13-4 against the current 16-team playoff ground. They have nine more scheduled matchups against season-bound squads, including their regular-season finale with the Leafs on April 30.
The Bruins didn't play for their identity until they showed some life in the third period. If anything, the urgency of the final 20 provided a building block for Thursday. They'll need more than 60 minutes of effort, though, whether it comes against dungeons like the Devils or against fellow playoff-bound teams like the Leafs, Lightning, Panthers, Penguins and Capitals.
"You just have to focus on getting back to our game ... our identity. It has made us a good team here in the last few months. It's just going strong on the puck and playing that Bruins brand of hockey," Lazar said. "We need this for a full 60, so let's get back in the saddle on Thursday and put on a solid 60."