The tail end of the Bruins’ 18-game point streak was a grind. That was obvious on many fronts, perhaps none as telling as giving up their first goal for eight consecutive games and squeaking out several comeback wins.
Sure, the streak had to end eventually — especially with the loss of Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. But it was the nature of the snapping — a near-direct result of the five-shot first period the Bruins produced against the Ducks on Tuesday — that couldn’t hide behind an excuse.
That’s when the fog of the team’s longest point streak since 1969 gave way to what had been the reality all along.