When was the last time you saw a Bruins forward pounce on an ill-advised pass by the opposition in the defensive zone and turn it into a goal?

When was the last time you saw a Bruins defenseman carry the puck through center, swiftly break down the wing and feather a pass for a teammate to swipe into the opposing goal?

When was the last time you saw a Bruins goalie make over 40 saves to backstop a win?

The last time you saw any of these may have been the last time you saw the Bruins win.

The Washington Capitals continued to do the things they do Tuesday at TD Garden and the Bruins continued to do the things they do, with the end result being a 4-1 Washington victory. (Click here for the full recap.)

Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon each scored in a 2:47 span in the third period and Jose Theodore made 41 saves as the Caps set a franchise record with their 11th straight win.

The Bruins did a lot of things right. They played with energy, grabbed the lead and limited Alex Ovechkin to just an empty-net goal in the final minute.

But the B’s also continued to squander scoring chances and make defensive blunders. Most importantly, they continued to come up on the short end on the scoreboard. Tuesday’s defeat was the eighth a row (including two shootout losses) for the Bruins, their longest losing streak since the 1955-56 season.

Some four months ago, the Bruins began an optimistic season with a 4-1 loss to Washington Capitals. They put forth a listless effort, perhaps being overconfident that the team’s strong showing last season would simply carry over and automatically lead to another winning year.

There is little doubt the Bruins team that hit the ice Tuesday is playing with a serious lack of confidence. Right now, the B's know they have to continue to work for results and hope that one win can lead to many.

“It’s just a matter of sticking with it. It’s tough, trust me, it’s tough,” center Marc Savard said. “I’ve been in these situations before and I think a lot of guys have, so hopefully that can pull us through. … Guys want to put the puck in the net.  It’s just a matter of ... I don’t know, maybe we have to sacrifice a chicken or a rooster or something like that and try and change our luck.”

While Savard and the Bruins go in search of sacrificial poultry, here are three things that emerged from Tuesday’s loss.

CHANGE A FEW KEY MINUTES, CHANGE THE OUTCOME

Struggling to end their extended losing streak, the Bruins needed to get an early lead, and the Caps were able to help them out. With Matt Bradley already serving a tripping call five minutes into the game, Alexander Semin clipped Zdeno Chara with a high stick.

Working on a 5-on-3 advantage, Dennis Wideman moved the puck from the right point to Savard along the half wall. Savard whisked a pass to David Krecji, who dropped to one knee and ripped a one-timer that Theodore managed to get a piece of, but the puck still toppled into the net.

The Bruins had two other power-play chances later in the period but didn’t score. They had Theodore and the Caps on the ropes but couldn’t drop them.

After Mike Knuble tied the game early in the second, Krejci was hooked on a shorthanded breakaway, setting up the first penalty shot of his career. He fired the puck wide of Theodore on the shot, another crucial chance lost.

“It was a tough one today, really tough,” Krejci said. “It is going to be tough to sleep tonight, but tomorrow we have to take some positives of this game and get ready for the next game. We have to keep working on those chances in practice and bury those.”

Even with the lost scoring chances, the Bruins still were in the game when Matt Hunwick made a blind backhand clearing pass behind the net that Semin intercepted. Semin quickly moved the puck to Laich, who snapped the puck past Tim Thomas from the left circle.

“I’ve replayed that about a hundred times in my head,” Hunwick said. “If I could re-do it, I’d just shoot it off the glass. Let the forwards go chase it and not go back with it there.”

Just 2:47 later, Worcester native Tom Poti carried the puck unimpeded through center ice and down the right wing before dishing a pass to Gordon for an easy swipe into the net. That was all it took.

“In my mind it could have been 4-1 probably for us after two periods, and this is where it ended up hurting us because we came out of that period tied, and the minute we made a mistake, it was in our net,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “So, those are things right now that you get frustrated at.”

NOT-SO EASY RYDER

The most positive offensive development for the Bruins Tuesday was the play of Krejci’s line, with Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler on the wings. The trio played with considerable jump. Krejci finished with a game-best seven shots on goal, Ryder played with plenty of spunk while adding five shots, and Wheeler had three more.

“Yeah, I just think we know that we had to be better and we want to be a difference-maker, and if we start playing well we figure we can turn things around,” Ryder said. “We’re doing a lot of good things out there we just can’t find the back of the net.”

Julien agreed that the Krejci line showed some spark.

“I thought two games ago they didn’t generate much. They did more tonight,” Julien said. “And again, you try and create some of the chemistry that they had last year. I thought they showed a lot of that tonight. So if that can continue to happen, then we can build on that kind of stuff, and all of the sudden get the goals, then that’s what we’ll be looking for.”

MR. BOYCHUK, MEET MR. OVECHKIN

Rookie defenseman Johnny Boychuk certainly will remember his first game against Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin.

In the third period, Boychuk delivered a solid body check to Ovechkin, knocking the two-time MVP off the puck. Ovechkin usually is not shy about delivering some jarring checks of his own, and the two traded hits throughout an extended shift in the B’s zone.

“I don’t think he expected me to be as solid as I am,” Boychuk said. “He’s very thick. You can’t always tell when you see on the ice sometimes because he’s such a good goal-scorer, but he’s very strong. … I’m lucky I had my head up for every hit.”