Bruins come out flatfooted, varsity sweaters make debut, and other takeaways from loss to Canadiens

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The Bruins were late for class and got schooled by the slick and speedy Canadiens Thursday night, dropping a 5-2 decision at TD Garden as Boston debuted its college-themed Varsity…

The Bruins were late for class and got schooled by the slick and speedy Canadiens Thursday night, dropping a 5-2 decision at TD Garden as Boston debuted its college-themed Varsity Sweaters.

The loss dropped the Bruins (13-5-1, 27 points) out of the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay (13-4-2, 28 points) and Montreal (12-3-4, 28 points) now share the catbird seat in the ultra-tight division.

The Bruins came out flatfooted while the Canadiens looked like their Flying Frenchmen predecessors over the first 12 minutes of the game.

It was a start the Bruins couldn’t overcome despite outplaying the Canadiens for stretches.

Kirby Dach’s wraparound goal and Josh Anderson’s five-hole shot staked Montreal to a 2-0 lead with Marco Sturm’s club a stride behind in the early going.

Boston, which fell to 8-2 on home ice, started to push back over the final seven minutes of the first and carried that momentum to the start of the middle period, but were stymied by Montreal goalie Jacob Fowler.

Breakaway goals from Jake Evans and Cole Caufield boosted Montreal’s lead to 4-0 and chased Jeremy Swayman from the Boston net.

Phillip Danault beat Michael DiPietro to bump the visitor’s lead to 5-0 — the most goals the Bruins have surrendered this season. Boston’s Casey Mittelstadt scored a pair of goals to close the scoring.

“We came out with no energy and, at the end of the game, it just cost us,” said Bruins rookie defenseman Frederic Brunet. “We got too far behind, and I think we figured it out at one point in the game, but too many mistakes and they capitalized on all those mistakes. So good for them, but we’ve got to be better.”

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