ick, tick, tick. Time is running out on the Bruins' season.
Only 14 games remain, and Boston remains on the outside of the playoff picture.
The Ottawa Senators dealt the struggling Bruins their third straight defeat, 5-3, last night at the FleetCenter. Boston is an uninspiring 3-6-0-2 in its last 11 games.
The only consolation was that Carolina, in the No. 8 and final Eastern Conference spot, bowed to Tampa Bay and remained 2 points ahead of Boston.
Coach Mike Keenan said he warned his players prior to this game that they would have to be strong defensively in front of the net because of the high skill level of the Senators. They didn't heed his warning.
''That's the only thing we talked about before the game, being firm with them in front because they've got skill,'' said Keenan. ''Box them out and be physical.''
Keenan, who singled out a pair of his veteran defensemen but didn't name them (although he didn't need to since his entire blue line corps struggled), said it creates a giant handicap when the normally reliable players are off their games.
''You can't win unless they do [their jobs],'' he said.
The Bruins got behind the 8-ball early as the Senators took a 1-0 lead just 6:40 into the action.
Center Alexei Yashin dropped a pass back for former Bruin Shawn McEachern high in the left circle. McEachern blasted the one-timer past goalie John Grahame to the glove side tight inside the right post.
In the second period, at practically the same time he scored his first goal, McEachern struck again, boosting his season total to 27.
Once again, Yashin set up the strike with a little flip pass in the right circle. Grahame stayed square to McEachern and appeared to have cut down any daylight. However, McEachern's high shot found the little bit of room it needed in the corner of the net, and the Senators were up, 2-0, at 6:36. It was his sixth goal in five games.
The Bruins finally broke through at 14:56, 30 seconds after a power play expired. P.J. Axelsson dished a cross-ice pass to Mike Knuble in the right circle. Knuble's shot deflected off the stick of an Ottawa defender past Patrick Lalime to make it 2-1. It was the second goal in four games for Knuble, who had five in his first 64.
The Senators made it a two-goal advantage again when Radek Bonk scored his 20th goal. Left wing Magnus Arvedson dished a long lead pass up for Bonk, who raced in alone on Grahame, beating the netminder on a forehand shot to the blocker side.
The Bruins climbed back in it during a span of a little more than a minute early in the third period.
During a power play that carried over from the second, Bill Guerin threw the puck down to Jason Allison behind the net. Allison skated it out a bit, then backhanded a centering pass to Joe Thornton at the top of the crease. Thornton swatted it past Lalime for his 29th goal, pulling the Bruins within 3-2 at the 26-second mark.
Brian Rolston tied it up just 1:08 later, again set up by Allison. Allison started the play by trying a wraparound shot at the right post. Lalime stopped it, and Allison tried again on the rebound. The puck squirted out to Knuble, who tried to get a shot off and the puck went back out to Rolston in the right circle, and he put it in at 1:34.
Thornton had a chance to give the Bruins their first lead of the game on a breakaway at 3:07, but Lalime turned back his forehander.
The Senators regained the advantage at 5:20 on a goal by Marian Hossa. Bonk put it out of reach at 11:42 on his second of the game.
Asked what his area of greatest concern was, Keenan said, ''having a commitment from 20 players who put the uniform on. We didn't have it again tonight. Maybe this is when you find out really what people are made of and who they are. You always do in pressure-packed situations. Maybe that's all going to surface now.''
