Does anyone have a phone number for Chris Chelios?

The once sound Bruins defense continued to crumble in an ugly 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Sunday. After yielding a goal to Ray Whitney in the first period, Tim Thomas and Bruin defenders charitably surrendered goals to Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter in the second period as the Hurricanes sent the B’s to their fifth straight defeat.

David Krejci had the Bruins lone goal on a power play in the third period.

Boston is just 1-7-1 in its last nine games and while scoring goals remains a problem, the Bruins defense, generally the foundation of the team’s ability to compete, was once again a mess Sunday.

Thomas gave up four goals on 15 shots and was pulled from the game for the second time in the less than a week. Already fragile and publically maligned defenseman Dennis Wideman was on the ice for all five Carolina goals. Matt Hunwick joined him on four occasions when the Hurricanes scored.

With the Bruins defense apparently either ill equipped to deal with the loss of Andrew Ference (sternum), or suddenly suffering from a lack of cohesion and confidence, there is a glowing need for some veteran help on the Boston blue line.

While it may be a stretch to suggest a snarly veteran like Chelios, who turns 48 Monday and who is currently playing with Chicago in the AHL (plus-24) could be an answer, there has to someone who can step in and help the Bruins turn things around. 

It’s time for the bleeding to stop. The Bruins, who have fallen out of a playoff position, have four days to get things in order before skating in Buffalo Friday night.

“You hope, and I say hope because there are no guarantees, that we’ve got four days here to try and regroup and get our heads on straight, practice with quality practices and maybe even get some healthy bodies back,” Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters. “Hopefully all of those things put together will help us be a better team by the time we go to Buffalo.” 

Here are three mysteries that continue to undermine the Bruins efforts to get back to winning hockey and a return to the playoff mix.

THOMAS STILL HAVING TROUBLES

The Bruins are in many ways all about Tim Thomas. For good, bad, or ugly as was the case Sunday, the team’s fortunes often are the direct result of his play. While Thomas was not at fault for letting in any particularly soft goals against the Hurricanes he failed to make any outstanding saves to keep the B’s in game when there were defensive breakdowns in front of him.

The B’s fell behind 1-0 as Krejci botched a clearing pass and Ray Whitney pounced on the puck and swiped it past Thomas just 7:50 after the opening faceoff.

“We were off to a real good start and then one bad turnover in our own end and it’s in our net,” said Julien. “Right now that’s really what is happening is that we are making some real bad mistakes that end up in the bottom of our net.”

Working on a power play in the second, Jokinen went to the net, drawing Bruin defenders and Thomas with him. Jokinen then shifted the puck back against the flow for Staal to send into the vacant net.

Jokinen scored his 15th of the season just 2:03 later and it was 3-0. Sutter ended Thomas’s night with his 12th of the season at 11:02 of the second.  

Tuukka Rask faced just five shots over the final 28 minutes of the game. He yielded a third period goal to Chad LaRose.

ARE THE BRUINS COMPETING LIKE THEY SHOULD BE?

Although the Hurricanes have the fewest points in the league, they had gone 5-5 in their 10 most recent games prior to Sunday. This was also a team that knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs last season and had been humiliated 8-2 in a game in Boston early this season.

This was not a game the Bruins should have taken lightly and there was some sense the B’s effort was there. The Bruins actually out shot the Hurricanes 20-10 over the final two periods and 28-20 for the game. They also matched Carolina going 1-4 on the power play.

Yet, the Bruins unraveled and let the game slip away during a six minute stretch of the second period.

“We dig ourselves a hole and we don’t seem to be able to fight out of it,” Julien said. “Instead of going to get that next goal we give up another one. When you’re pressed you make some bad decisions and the more you press the worse it gets.”

There’s little doubt that the Bruins struggles to score goals contributes to the team’s inability to wrestle momentum in their favor. Michael Ryder had breakaway during a power play in the second with a chance to keep Boston in the contest, but he was shut down by Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward.

With Marco Sturm, Marc Savard, Steve Begin and Bryon Bitz still sidelined, the Bruins are even more hard pressed to generate offense. While the Hurricanes, who remain at the bottom of the NHL standings, have three 15 goals scorers, the Bruins just one, Sturm, and he is injured.

WIDEMAN HAD COMPANY

Dennis Wideman’s defensive struggles have been well chronicled, but it’s certainly worth noting that Hunwick has also been a defensive liability during the team’s losing streak.

Hunwick was on the ice for four of the five Carolina goals Sunday. He was also on the ice for the game-tying goal by Columbus Thursday, two Ottawa goals last Monday and two third-period goals in LA on Jan. 16.

Hunwick is generally part of the mix to help generate offense, but moving a solid defensive defenseman in the lineup, or a rugged one like Adam McQuaid, might be in the cards.