“Definitely not happy with the way things are going. We have to be much better in many areas,” said Brad Marchand. “Mistakes will happen in the game and we will only make them worse and it is not acceptable to keep making the same mistakes and doing the same things over and over again that will not bring success. So yes, we have to be a little better.”

Despite the lopsided score, the Bruins had plenty of opportunities to make it a game. Sloppy play, an anemic power play (1 for 6 and conceding a few close-range goals) and Merzlikins’ brilliance were all factors.

The biggest culprit, however, was inconsistent effort. Boston was too easy to play against too often.

“I think it always starts first and foremost with your competition level. I think in this league you have to compete at the highest level every night if you want to be a good team,” Marchand said. “And we have it during certain periods of the game. We haven’t done that at times, and when we do it’s really good, but then we get into those other moments of the game where we think we’re a skill team and we want to play through the middle of the ice and that is not the case. us. We have to understand what our identity is and play into that, and we have to do that for another full 60 (minutes) of the game.”

Trailing 3-1 entering the third, Boston looked to pull off its second third-period comeback in less than a week.

They got off to a good start and earned an early power play, but Justin Danforth’s shorthand – Columbus’ second of the night – took all the wind out of the hosts’ billowing sails.

The Blue Jackets really let the Bruins have their way in the first twenty minutes, then the fans did the same when the siren sounded.

The boo birds were out in full force after Columbus built a 3-0 lead following goals from Dmitri Voronkov, Mathieu Olivier and old friend James van Riemsdyk.

Jeffrey Viel tried to get his new teammates going by challenging Olivier to a fight that lasted just 2:12, but to be fair, there were more punches thrown in last week’s Jake Paul-Mike Tyson mock.

Ironically, The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” played over the sound system as the fighters made their way to the penalty boxes.

Columbus got a bump in the game after the dust cleared, breaking the ice three minutes later when Sean Monahan Voronkov jumped on a breakaway. Voronkov’s backhander slid through Jeremy Swayman’s five-hole as Brendan Carlo crashed into his goalkeeper.

Moments after Tyler Johnson made a nice call on Merzlikins, the shifty winger drew a great call on Zach Werenski, giving Boston the first power play of the night.

The Bruins moved the puck quickly with the man advantage, but couldn’t find an open lane or pull the trigger on any shots.

Columbus added insult to injury when Olivier, known for his hand throwing, showed some silky mitts, sidestepped Charlie Coyle and tucked a backhander past Swayman for the shorty and a 2-0 lead.

Cue the first round of boos.

“I tried to strip the guy, but it didn’t work, and it’s up to me not to let him go to the net,” Coyle said. “So no, that’s strictly my responsibility.”

Moments after Merzlikins robbed Trent Frederic (quick snapper in the slot) and Coyle (right pad saved Frederic’s rebound), the Jackets struck again.

This time it was from Riemsdyk. Werenksi threw a shot toward the crease, and it caramelized off Van Riemsdyk and past Swayman with just 31.5 seconds left.

Just eight seconds into the second, the boo birds hooted again as Charlie McAvoy was called for interference.

A trip call on Kirill Marchenko ended the power play, but Boston couldn’t generate anything with the man advantage in its shortened time.

As always, Marchand was fizzled and drew a tripping call on Dante Fabbro, but all Boston could manage was a pair of innocent point shots from McAvoy and Mason Lohrei.

The struggling power play finally broke through when Coyle struck with Ivan Provorov in the penalty area (coincidentally due to interference on Coyle).

Justin Brazeau collected a Lohrei dump from the point and slid it to Coyle, who sneaked through the slot and tucked a forehander under Merzlikins’ glove.

That was the extent of Boston’s offense.

Yegor Chinakhov scored for the Blue Jackets.

As he searches for a way to pull his team out of the swamp, Jim Montgomery continues to stick to an honesty is the best policy.

“You have to be honest in life, everyone goes through difficulties, whether you are in life or a team, that’s what life is about,” the coach said. “How do you get up? It’s not about how hard you fall; it’s how quickly you pick yourself up.”

Jim McBride can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @globejimmcbride.