Exasperated Montgomery lets Bruins have it

‘I don’t think our team’s ready yet for the playoffs.’

Jim montgomery had seen enough. Less than five minutes into monday’s practice at Warrior ice arena, the Bruins coach put an emphatic halt to the opening drill. With the execution and pace falling well below his standards, montgomery beckoned his players to the goal line.

“Wake the [expletive] up!” the coach barked before commencing end-to-end sprints for the entire roster.

it was a stern shot across the bow to a team that has done little to inspire confidence in its playoff mettle of late.

and with back-to-back games against the panthers and Lightning next on the docket, montgomery stressed that more lapses in details will only compound the team’s problems ahead of a postseason push.

“i hated the way we finished the game in philly [saturday],” said montgomery. “it was a good hockey game, it was playoff intensity, physicality to it. and i don’t think i’ve done a good enough job of teaching the details and game management that we need.

“and then we weren’t prepared to practice today. so that’s why, those things coupled together — not ready to start practice on time, guys not knowing what we’re supposed to be doing. again, i take responsibility for it. But there’s got to be some responsibility on the players, too.”

montgomery’s frustrations come after the Bruins dropped back-to-back games in regulation to the rangers and flyers thursday and saturday, unable to elevate their game against two teams also bracing themselves for the gauntlet of the postseason.

in the 5-2 loss to the rangers, the Bruins struggled to gain inside ice, generating just four high-danger scoring chances over 50:29 of five-on-five ice time (per natural stat trick). montgomery also bemoaned poor line changes that led to odd-man rushes for the flyers in the 3-2 loss saturday.

“We have good stretches where we manage the game, and we get away from it,” Montgomery noted. “You can’t get away from it. You just can’t give a game away in the playoffs, because you don’t get to play the following week if you do it.”

the team’s veterans agreed with Montgomery’s harsh critiques.

“I think it was very warranted today to do that,” said Charlie Coyle. “You have to come ready to play and be sharp, no matter what day it is. No matter if you’re tired, not tired, whatever, you have to be sharp.

“You have to be focused and come ready to work, and that stuff happens and we respond to it. And like I said, we learn and get better. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game or practice, it’s the same mind-set and we always have to have that.”

the lackluster showing against New York and philadelphia prompted Montgomery’s pointed words, but the Bruins have largely treaded water for months.

As noted by the Globe’s Kevin paul Dupont, the Bruins have lost as many games as they’ve won — 27-15-12 — since Black Friday in November.

A strong response tuesday night against a panthers team that shattered the Bruins’ playoff hopes last spring would be a welcome sight for Montgomery.

With only 10 games left in the regular season, the Bruins are running out of time before the stakes are raised.

“I don’t think our team’s ready yet for the playoffs,” Montgomery acknowledged. “We’ve got to continue to get tested and we’re going to get tested.” ...

Captain Brad Marchand acknowledged that the departures of franchise fixtures patrice Bergeron and David Krejci created more growing pains this season for the team’s next wave of veteran leaders.

While Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and David pastrnak have the letters stitched into their sweaters, Marchand said other tenured skaters have started to take on more active leadership roles, especially Coyle.

“He’s been such a dominant player on the ice, but in the room he’s even finding much more of a voice,” Marchand said. “You’ve seen him step up into those situations, which wasn’t necessarily the situation in the past. So it’s great to see him take another level. It’s something I think they’ve been kind of pushing him to do for a number of years now.

“And he’s kind of finding that confidence to do it on the ice, on the bench, in the room. And it’s such a nice filler when you lose guys like Bergy and Krech, to have him come in and kind of step up in that role and thrive.”

Even with Monday’s initial setback in practice, Marchand was pleased with how the players responded following the sprints.

“After that, the compete level was very high,” Marchand said. “Details were much better. It was warranted, and it was a good reminder.”

...

One of the Bruins’ most gifted prospects might be on the mend for some time.

Fabian Lysell, who ranks second on providence with 50 points in 56 games this season, suffered an upper-body injury crashing into the boards during Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Charlotte.

“He’s gonna miss, probably, significant time, I would imagine,” said providence coach Ryan Mougenel, per Mark Divver of New England Hockey Journal.

“It’s disappointing. He was starting to play really well.”