BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins (3-6-0) started hot, had some lows, made a comeback, yet once again fell short in a devastating game that finished 7-5 in favor of the Anaheim Ducks (4-2-1) on Thursday night inside TD Garden.

It's a sixth-straight defeat for the Bruins, who began the year 3-0-0.  The Bruins had dominant stretches throughout the game, but still could not sustain it for all 60 minutes. 

For a second straight home game, the Bruins tied a game they were trailing by multiple goals late, only to give up the game-winning goal on the other end in gut-punching fashion.

This time, Boston scored two goals in 25 seconds to turn a 5-3 Ducks lead into a 5-5 game. 30 seconds and one Anaheim timeout later, the Ducks regained their lead, one they would not cough up.

The first 40 minutes were a pretty strong effort from Boston, but they still couldn't make a lead stick, and Anaheim pulled away in the third period.

Joonas Korpisalo had some flashy saves, but did not play his best, stopping X while allowing X goals.

At the other end of the ice, Petr Mrazek left plenty of rebounds and wasn't a total rock, but did more than enough to keep Anaheim in it especially after Boston dictated terms for most of the first and second period.

First Period:

The Bruins started very strong, and just 2:10 into the game Casey Mittelstadt put the Bruins up 1-0.

That goal showed the second line at their best, a strong rush into the zone with lots of movement and crashing the net. 

Boston piled up 11 high-danger chances 5v5 in the first period, more than they'd had in any full game this season.

It didn't matter. They only got the one goal, and when their play ebbed, former Boston College defenseman Drew Helleson walked down the right wall unguarded and fired a puck off Charlie McAvoy and in.

Boston totaled up 19 shots in the first period, but only got one goal past Mrazek. Anaheim matched it, with one on 12 shots.

Second Period:

Things continued to go Boston's way in the second period, with Boston controlling the game, applying constant pressure to a leaky Anaheim defense.

Almost midway through the period, Morgan Geekie wired home a goal that gave Boston its second goal of the night.

It's a nice, crisp pass from David Pastrnak to set up Geekie for the tally. Geekie's perfectly-placed wrist shot did enough to beat Mrazek.

The lead lasted less than three minutes. Another Boston College Golden Eagle scored for Anaheim, as Cutter Gauthier wired one home. From here on, the game switched.

Boston lost control. They began to grip their sticks too much and made simple mental mistakes. Instead of dictating control, Boston chased things.

Then, just over three minutes later, Jacob Trouba scored his first goal of the season, and just his third goal in his last 160 games.

It put Boston behind 3-2, their first deficit of the night.

Still, they did fight. Tanner Jeannot dropped the gloves with Ross Johnston just prior to the Trouba goal. 

Mason Lohrei, who had a very rough night, scored on the power play to tie the game before the horn sounded for intermission.

It was also probably the softest goal Mrazek allowed, as he wasn't fully set for Lohrei's one-timer that fooled him. The bodies in front helped, too.

Still, even though the train got a bit away from them in the second period, Boston found themselves tied 3-3 after two periods and every chance to win the game and snap the losing streak.

Third Period:

Boston did not take control. Viktor Arvidsson took a tripping penalty 1:37 (97 seconds) into the third period.

Mikael Granlund buried a one-timer after Troy Terry danced around the Bruins kill, giving Anaheim another lead.

Five minutes later, Charlie McAvoy got beat twice on a floating puck, by Johnston and Sam Colangelo.

Colangelo, a native of Stoneham, Massachusetts and former Northeastern Husky, buried it all alone in front of Korpisalo.

It had very quickly become gut-check time for the Bruins. As has become the norm, they fought back. They didn't lie down. 

Gauthier took a delay-of-game penalty for chipping the puck over the glass. 

It took Boston eight seconds to score on the man advantage.

Pavel Zacha set a perfect screen in front, but again Mrazek allowed a shot from downtown to beat him.

The goal sparked Boston and TD Garden into life.

25 seconds left, Geekie scored his second of the game and blew the roof off the building.

It's an absolutely unbelievable rush by Nikita Zadorov, almost single-handedly willing Boston to equalize.

It didn't matter. Anaheim took a timeout to regroup. Boston could regroup and settle, and at least, find a way to get a point.

Exactly 30 seconds later, Terry won the game for Anaheim.

Yes, the puck takes a funny bounce of the wall. Even so, it's a defensive breakdown that cannot happen.

Lohrei and McAvoy do the same thing, both pursuing the puck carrier. Neither picked up Terry, who finished it easily. 

Granlund hit the empty netter for his second goal of the game and his fifth total point. 

A total and complete roundhouse kick to the gut for Boston, who once again fought back but could not stay out of their own way en route to a sixth-straight regulation loss.

Boston's in action again on Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche.