When children misbehave, a common tactic for parents and teachers is to put them in a "timeout" so they can think about what they did. 

Luckily for the Bruins, the NHL schedule is treating what is arguably the NHL’s best team that same way, as the B’s struggles leading up to the All-Star break were punctuated with a sloppy, lethargic 5-3 loss in the nation’s capital Tuesday. (Recap.)

Now, after a stretch of 3-3-1 hockey from the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Bruins will have until Jan. 31 to think about what they’ve done. They can evaluate the season thus far, one that began on as low a note as it could (last place in the Eastern Conference at the end of October) and saw incredible highs before the team’s recent funk. 

If the Bruins have learned anything this season, it’s that they are pretty darn close to unbeatable when they’re on. Their depth allows them to dominate play when 5-on-5, and their goaltending is the best in the business. The guy wearing No. 33 isn’t bad either. 

Yet the last couple of weeks leading up to the break featured little dominance. In their last seven games, the team that had gotten used to blowing out opponents won only one game by more than goal. The Bruins’ four-goal (including an empty-netter) third period against the Devils on Jan. 19 and their strong showing in their defeat against the Rangers Saturday stand as the bright spots in an otherwise gloomy and uncharacteristic stretch. 

Even Tuukka Rask, perhaps the surest of sure things this season for the Bruins, had a rough showing Tuesday night in the loss to the Capitals. Rask let in a couple of bad goals in a 41-second span in the second period, and ended up allowing four goals on just 23 shots.

It was the kind of off-night that has been very rare for Rask this season. In fact, Tuesday’s performance marked the first time since Rask’s second start of the season that he allowed four goals in a game. In between those starts, Rask was perhaps the Bruins’ best player. His seven-game win streak in which he allowed just six goals was reminiscent of Tim Thomas’ start to his record-setting campaign last season. For a good period of time, Rask led the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average. Yet the poor play that was going around amongst the Bruins was seemingly contagious, as Tuesday’s Rask wasn’t the same version that Boston had been used to seeing this season. 

While the four goals allowed were unusual for Rask, the Bruins have gotten used to seeing their opponents represented well on the scoreboard over the last few games. Not only did the Bruins allow hat tricks to opponents in the last two games before the break (Scott Hartnell on Sunday and Mathieu Perreault on Tuesday), but their last three games before the break marked the only time this season in which they allowed three or more goals in three consecutive games. 

That falls on Thomas and Rask, as the former has allowed four or more goals in half of his last eight starts, but it also falls on the team’s defense. Joe Corvo continues to have his ups and downs, but Johnny Boychuk’s lazy turnover in the neutral zone in the second period Tuesday was picked cleanly by Perreault, who raced into the Bruins’ zone and beat Rask before anyone could catch up to him. 

“There was none,” Claude Julien told reporters when asked about the team’s defense Tuesday night. “The way we played tonight, we gave them the goals. There's no question about that. The turnovers from our D, the type of goals that we gave them were certainly disappointing for our team tonight.”

The good thing about the next six days is that, in addition to thinking about what the Bruins were pre-funk and mid-funk, they can rest. It sure looked like they were resting for the better part of the last two weeks, but they weren’t doing it in a comfortable manner. The team's players look like they need to go home, recharge their batteries, and make sure that when they return to action next Tuesday against the Senators, the ugly play is behind them, a luxury that will now be afforded them with the exception of Thomas, Zdeno Chara and Tyler Seguin.

Said Julien: “Probably the positive is that we've got five days to think about it and come back hopefully refreshed, rejuvenated and playing with a lot more energy.”

Nathan Horton, who missed Tuesday's game with a concussion, will also have more time to recover without missing games. The time off will undoubtedly also be a good thing for Rich Peverley, who is producing at a high level, but admittedly playing through pain as he deals with an undisclosed injury that has required practices and games off here and there. So while Horton and Peverley heal, their teammates can simply prepare for some better hockey. 

In a season in which the Bruins have shown that they’re likely better than last year’s Cup-winning squad, to say their play of late is concerning might be a bit of an overreaction. The Bruins know what they can be. They just need to show it more down the stretch.