For Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien, Thursday went from humbling to grumbling.
The Florida Panthers beat his Bruins 4-1 tonight, moving to first place in the Atlantic Division, at least for the time being.
It wasn’t just a loss for the Bruins; it was also a fifth defeat in a row. Add in an injury and a frustrating call or two, and Julien’s franchise wins record is probably not on the tip of many tongues.
The injury
John Michael-Liles suffered a lower-body injury and was unable to return. It’s unclear how bad it might be beyond that.
INJURY UPDATE: John-Michael Liles will not return due to a lower-body injury.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 25, 2016
The insult
A goal review almost left Julien’s face blue:
Refs say there's no conclusive evidence puck went over the line. No goal. Fans are throwing stuff on the ice. Angry bunch here
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 25, 2016
One other result: some unease among the locals.
That thud you heard was Freddy T throwing himself off the B's bandwagon https://t.co/TritnioGL5
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 25, 2016
Hey, if Julien showed anything in setting a new benchmark for Bruins coaches, it’s that he can roll with the punches. That’s good, because the Panthers landed a few on his kisser this time around.