Bruins Notes: Boston Didn’t Come Close To Meeting ‘Standard’ Vs. Capitals

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins have lost two of the last three games following the 3-0 shutout against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on Saturday.

In the first 40 minutes of the game, the Bruins only managed eight shots on goal as the Capitals controlled the tempo of the game.

“It just shouldn’t happen,” Bruins center Charlie Coyle said after the game. “There’s no excuse for it. I really have nothing to say to change that. It shouldn’t be a thing. And, we’ve seen it twice in three games.”

Coyle added: “It’s just a mindset thing really. It’s coming in, getting ready and focus for the game. No matter what time it’s at … day, night, whatever. We have a standard here, and we weren’t even close to meeting it tonight.”

When asked how the Bruins can bounce back and remedy playing below their standard, Coyle struggled for the answer.

“Honestly, not sure,” he said. “There’s no excuse for it. I hate to even try to talk about it because it just shouldn’t happen and we need to address that and be better next game. (…) It’s a work ethic thing. It’s a mindset thing. We got to bring that. That’s what we expect from ourselves. That’s what the fans expect. That’s just unacceptable.”

Coyle expressed the difference between not getting bounces and having the work ethic to battle for the puck and space.

“You gotta work for it,” Coyle said. “It’s one thing if you’re not getting the bounces, but you just can’t mosey through a game and expect to get bounces. That’s not how it works. You’re not going to win many, if any, games like that.”

Here are more notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Capitals game:

— The Bruins registered just 18 shots on goal in the loss, which is the lowest since Mar. 12, 2013, when they recorded 16.

“We passed up a couple of chances,” Brad Marchand said after the game. “But, we didn’t even put ourselves in a position to get shots. We weren’t winning enough battles into areas where we could get shot opportunities. We did pass up a couple for sure, but we have to do a better job creating.”

— The 3-0 loss was the first time Boston had been shut out in the 2023-24 season.

— With the Bruins being held off the board, Coyle’s 10-game point streak was snapped. Over the past 10 games, Coyle had lit the lamp four times and assisted on 11 other Boston goals for a total of 15 points.

— The Bruins continue their seven-game homestand when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. Puck drop from TD Garden is slated for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action, plus an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.