The Bruins know that they aren’t going to get a Dec. 23 kind of game every night. These days, that line of thinking can also be revised to include Feb. 3. After Thursday night’s beatdown of the Stars, it was hard to imagine both the B’s and the Garden crowd being able to cultivate such an environment. 

Long after the initial shock of zero fights in the first four seconds wore off, it was clear that Saturday’s contest simply didn’t contain the intensity of Thursday’s bout. Rather than a high-scoring affair, the B’s were forced to play a tight game throughout the day, and despite doing a great job at limiting the Sharks to just 18 shots on the day, dropped a 2-0 decision in a contest (recap) that looked little like what fans saw Thursday. 

“The building was rocking last game,” Adam McQuaid, who drew two penalties for the B’s against the Sharks, said. “I guess there’s going to be the odd game like [Saturday], but it’s kind of disappointing after the game we had against Dallas, and then coming in and not being able to get the two points tonight. We knew that San Jose was going to be a tough opponent.”

And a tough opponent the Sharks were. Now winners of seven of their last eight games, Todd McLellan’s club seemed to be a very good test for a Bruins club that has arguably been the best Eastern Conference team since the aforementioned Dec. 23 win against the Thrashers. As Blake Wheeler pointed out after the game, both teams were dealing with a miniscule margin of error. It took one back-hander from rookie sensation Logan Couture on the power play in the first period to decide the game, and Antti Niemi didn’t give the B’s much to work with in the shutout. 

While Thursday’s and Saturday’s contests were drastically different, the Bruins didn’t severely lack energy against the Sharks. What they did lack was the consistency throughout the lineup that will eventually be the difference between whether they end up being a playoff team or a Stanley Cup team. The debut of the Blake Wheeler - Zach Hamill - Michael Ryder line was a bust, getting only two shots on Antti Niemi and leaving Claude Julien wishing he could get more from his offense each night than just the always-solid Patrice Bergeron line. 

“I think our players, some of our players here, we talk about producing, and we have a lot of good players who we know can produce,” Julien said after the game. “Some of those guys we’ve talked about need to start producing a little bit more. We’re not just talking about [Saturday], we’re talking about other games as well. Basically, we’ve been talking about Bergeron’s line, which has been really good for us, but we need some other lines to take that same approach and want to be as good as they are every night. 

“I think it’s the responsibility of each individual to be the best he can. There are some players who can still be better and if they are we’re going to be a better team.”

Much can also be put on the structure of Saturday’s game. You weren’t going to find Shawn Thornton sniping one from the top of the circle, as such opportunities were rare. The B’s instead had to try their hands at manufacturing a tally to beat Niemi, and that simply wasn’t happening. 

“It was a tough loss. It was really close. The effort was there,” David Krejci, who hasn’t scored in 19 games (and is frustrated by the absence of his preferred hockey sticks), said. “We carried the same intensity as we did against Dallas, but it just wasn’t happening. Still, it was a good game. We had some chances. [They get] a lucky break and they scored, if you want to have a chance to win a game you have to score at least one goal. We just couldn’t find a way today.”

Saturday’s game provided little reminders of what this team needs to improve. The power play hasn’t produced a goal since the Colorado game in which Marc Savard was lost (for more on that, visit the Big Bad Blog), and the offense – especially the wingers – need to limit just how many off-nights are strung together. When a team is performing at a level few other squads are, it can stand to have its flaws exposed from time to time. Maybe the timing is right, as the Bruins, scheduled for a rare Sunday practice, have three days to work things out in anticipation of Montreal – a team they still haven’t beaten this season.