3 least impressive Boston Bruins players from 3-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes feat. Nikita Zadorov 

The Boston Bruins dropped a gut-wrenching 3-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes got the game-winner with 19 seconds left in the third period, courtesy of Seth Jarvis.

The Bruins had come back to tie the game early in the third period and looked poised to head into overtime. But Carolina pressured down the stretch and pulled out the win.

Sebastian Aho scored a shorthanded goal to open the scoring in the first period, with Brent Burns and Jarvis getting the other tallies for the Carolina Hurricanes. Meanwhile, Morgan Geekie scored twice for the Boston Bruins in the losing effort.

Here’s a closer look at the three least impressive Boston Bruins players from their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

3 least impressive Boston Bruins players from 3-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes

#3. Elias Lindholm

Elias Lindholm continues to struggle for the Boston Bruins. On Thursday night against Carolina, he was a minus-2 in over 17 minutes of ice time. While he registered three shots on goal, he was unable to get much going in terms of high-danger scoring chances.

Lindholm is riding a six-game goalless drought, while his 32 points in 63 games have been disappointing this season. The Bruins expected more scoring from Lindholm, in addition to more reliable defensive play.

#2. David Pastrnak

It’s perhaps hard to blame David Pastrnak for the Bruins' loss against the Hurricanes. Pastrnak assisted on Geekie’s game-tying goal. However, it was a defensive miscue in the first period that led to Aho’s shorthanded goal.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The sequence started with a botched pass from Mason Lohrei in his own end. However, Pastrnak was late to react to the play, allowing Aho to waltz into the crease and bury a backhander past Joonas Korpisalo.

While Aho deserves credit for the play, the terrible defensive miscues by Lohrei and Pastrnak were awful. But there was one other play that a key Pastrnak mistake allowed the Canes to capitalize.

#1. Nikita Zadorov

Nikita Zadorov was the victim of a tough break. With 19 seconds to go in the third period, Zadorov attempted to clear the puck from his zone and run out the clock. However, this stick exploded, allowing Seth Jarvis to pick up the loose puck and score the game-winner.

Here’s a closer look at the goal:

It’s worth pointing out that the play started with a botched line change in which Pastrnak gave up the puck in front of his bench. Jarvis dumped the puck into the Bruins’ zone where Zadorov completely fanned on the shot due to the broken stick.

It was a tough break for Zadorov and the Bruins. Boston will get a chance to bounce back against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Saturday.