The Boston Bruins knew they were in for a tough road trip when they started their four-game swing in Southern California. Without the likes of David Krejci and Zdeno Chara – both healing from injuries – things started off bad in Anaheim and Los Angeles where they were outscored by a combined 5-2 against the Ducks and Kings in a span of 24 hours.

Enter Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks, the third game of the road trip. The Bruins came in winning the last three against the Sharks and started off hot with two goals from Reilly Smith (just 29 seconds in) and Gregory Campbell in the first 2:35 of the opening stanza.

For a team struggling, offensively, the Black and Gold couldn’t have asked for a better start. Then the snowball effect factored in, again, and it went from bad to worse.

The Black and Gold were outscored in the final 40 minutes, 7-2. The Sharks, while held off the scoreboard, fed of their play from their middle of the first period on. Sure, San Jose got a few lucky bounces their way, but that didn’t excuse the Bruins’ defensive lapses over the last two periods as they hung Tuukka Rask out to dry, again.

“You know, it was good getting a lead at the start of the game and we were happy with that,” said Smith, who score twice to break an 11-game point drought. “But it seemed halfway through the first period, things went in a negative way and it kept snowballing from there. We didn’t help Tuukks out too much tonight, and it was a poor effort after their first 10 minutes.”

“It was a tough night,” head coach Claude Julien told reporters after the B’s 7-4 loss. “It was a bad night for our hockey club.”

Even as the Sharks built their momentum, the Bruins, as they have since Chara went down with a knee injury, were able to tread water. Despite giving up four goals in the second period, the offense found a way to score twice and tie the game at 4-4, despite only firing seven shots in the middle 20.

Then the third period came and the Bruins couldn’t stop the snowball from going downhill. Tyler Kennedy scored his second just 3:02 into the third and then Joe Pavelski (with his second of the night) and Tomas Hertl added insult to injury.

“We definitely got the start that we wanted, and then we couldn’t keep it up,” Patrice Bergeron, who broke a five-game point drought with his assist on Reilly Smith’s first goal, said to reporters. “We talk about it so much during the year about playing 60-minute hockey and that’s the way we want to play. And we saw tonight that it wasn’t even close to that.”

The avalanche of less than ideal situations given to the Black and Gold in 2014-15 can’t be stopped at this point.

From the trade of Johnny Boychuk prior to the start of the 2014-15 regular season, to the slew of injuries, to the numerous call ups from Providence and the endless roster shuffling on a nightly basis, the Bruins’ chemistry has taken a hit during the first 29 contests of their 82-game campaign. Things could get a little better when Chara is activated from long term injured reserve, and if David Krejci can heal his hip injury and stay in the lineup.

Even with Krejci and Chara close to returning – both skated yesterday in Boston – this team is in need of a shake up sooner, rather than later.

The roster they have currently just doesn’t cut it.

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