Thrashers sink to new low in loss to Bruins

Boston — Even as they sank to the bottom of the NHL standings, the Thrashers used to be able to tell themselves they were close. This weekend, they couldn’t even say that.

Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins sent the Thrashers to a new low, the first consecutive losses this season by more than one goal. Combined score of the home-and-home series: Boston 11, Atlanta 5.

The Thrashers’ postgame locker room turned into a forum for players to vent their frustrations about how badly things are going and to share their opinions about how to fix the situation. It was a players-only meeting; coach John Anderson said he stuck with his policy of not giving a speech to his team immediately after a game.

There was no shortage of speakers.

“We addressed some issues before we can move on,” said defenseman Niclas Havelid, one of the captainless team’s five alternate captains. “It was time to say something.”

“Some feelings need to be felt,” goalie Johan Hedberg said.

Players can’t allow themselves or their teammates to become numb to what they’re experiencing, game after game, Hedberg added.

“You learn how to accept how to lose, and that’s a terrible, terrible feeling,” he said. “That’s something we cannot accept having.”

The Thrashers (9-15-4) have won just one of their last nine games and two of their last 13. They are tied with Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders at an NHL-worst 22 points, though the Thrashers have a game in hand on both.

The Bruins (21-5-4) have the NHL’s best record. They won their 11th consecutive home game, and Phil Kessel, with a goal and an assist, extended the NHL’s longest active point streak to 15 games, the best by a Boston player in more than a decade. Michael Ryder scored twice for the Bruins, who scored six minutes into the game and led the rest of the way.

Nathan Oystrick scored one of the Thrashers’ goals and assisted on the other, by Marty Reasoner. But that was far from enough.

“We have to start looking in the mirror a little bit and try to find out where this team’s at,” Anderson said. “Are we good enough to play with the big boys or not.”

Most of the team is struggling, few more than Jason Williams. He is the team’s No. 5 goal scorer, but only one of his seven goals has come in the most recent 14 games, and his plus-minus had fallen to minus-eight, tied for second worst on the team.

Anderson tried to get him going Friday night by putting him in place of Reasoner Friday night as the center for Ilya Kovalchuk and Chris Thorburn.

Williams has centered on Kovalchuk’s line before, with Erik Christensen as the other wing. That threesome also played with Christensen at center and Williams on the right wing. When Williams scored four goals (including two game-winners) in a three-game stretch, Kovalchuk assisted on every one.

But the change produced no immediate payoff Saturday night. Williams said the line he’s on isn’t important.

“Obviously things aren’t going great right now, and basically at rock bottom,” he said. “We’re trying to search and find things that are going to work, and right now they’re not.”