Eight games left and tensions are starting to heat up in The Hub.

With their 5-2 loss to the Rangers in New York on Wednesday night, the Bruins have now lost four in a row for the first time in 2015-16. Here are a few things that we learned from the third and final meeting between the two teams this season at Madison Square Garden.

Puck luck not on Bruins side

Whether it was the two goals disallowed — both coming off the stick of Lee Stempniak — or having just two power plays to the Rangers’ six, the hockey gods didn’t favor the Bruins on this night. Granted, some of the calls were justified, including Stempniak’s first disallowed goal after Brad Marchand was clearly seen going offsides after Alain Vigneault used his coach’s challenge.

But other calls, including a tenuous first period holding call that on David Krejci that led to the Rangers’ second power play goal of the first from Derek Stepan, tilted the direction of the game. That drew ire from Claude Julien during his postgame press conference to reporters (via Fluto Shinzawa’s Twitter — disclosure, the linked tweet is not NSFW).

In another instance, Stempniak seemed to have beaten Henrik Lundqvist in the third period to put the Bruins within a goal. The call on the ice was deemed no goal. After an official review, there was no conclusive evidence that the puck crossed the line — even as it appeared to do so before Lundqvist made the glove stop — and the original ruling stood. Moments later, J.T. Miller scored his 20th of the season to give his team a 4-2 lead at 6:32 of the third.

Still, the Bruins were a little sloppy at the offensive end — despite having a 41-24 advantage in shots on goal — that, more often than not, led to the Rangers generating chances down their end of the ice. The B’s had their opportunities, but, again, couldn’t execute when it mattered.

Frank Vatrano scores in his return

By the time the third period started, Vatrano earned Julien’s trust. He jumped up to the left wing slot on the second line with Krejci and Loui Eriksson for the final 20 minutes. The ‘Springfield Rifle’ notched his seventh of the season late in the third period to cut the B’s deficit to 4-2.

As the inconsistencies of Jimmy Hayes (who took two penalties in Tuesday’s loss) and Brett Connolly continue, Julien is searching for more offensive output from his third and fourth lines. Vatrano, who was a prime candidate to help the B’s secondary scoring issues, could very well be a spark that the Bruins need as they enter must-win mode at this point of the season. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to see him back with Krejci and Eriksson to start tomorrow’s game against the Panthers.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to see the former UMass-Amherst standout return with Krejci and Eriksson to start tomorrow’s game against the Panthers.

Tuukka pulled after the first period

The last thing the Bruins needed was for Tuukka Rask to develop an illness this week. The mini-crisis appeared to be averted when he traveled with the team to New York and was apparently healthy enough to get the start in Wednesday’s pivotal matchup.

Rask (six saves on eight shots) only lasted one period, however. Trailing 2-0 after 20 Jonas Gustavsson took over for the final 40 minutes. The Bruins backup made 13 saves in the relief appearance but couldn’t provide the spark that they needed.

Julien admitted to NBCSN’s Pierre McGuire that Tuukka’s illness was the reason that he pulled him early. The Bruins absolutely need the 2014 Vezina Winner to be healthy enough for a full-60 Thursday night.

Stats and other facts from the four-game losing streak

In each of the four games, the Bruins have allowed the first goal of the game and have had to chase. Only once did they manage to take a lead — against the San Jose Sharks — after allowing goal No. 1.

Entering their trip to California, the Bruins were sitting as one of the top two teams in the Atlantic Division. They also had a 10-point lead over the ninth place Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference. Now, they find themselves trailing the Panthers and Lightning by three points for the Atlantic lead while holding a mere three-point advantage on the Flyers and Red Wings, who are locked for the East’s final wild card spot.

The concern level over the potential of another missed playoff appearance is growing around The Hub. A loss Tursday in the final meeting of the season against the Panthers could put the Black and Gold’s postseason hopes on code red.