If the Bruins don't show dramatic improvement ASAP, the season could start to slip away from them amid a tough January schedule.

Short on emotion and scoring chances, the Bruins dropped their fifth straight game, falling to that well-oiled machine out of Edmonton, 4-0, at TD Garden Tuesday night. The midseason malaise dropped Boston to 20-18-5 — 12-9-2 since the coaching change to Joe Sacco — as it clings to its precarious playoff position.

The Boston Bruins had another bad night on Tuesday, losing to the Edmonton Oilers by a 4-0 final score. The Original Six club was outplayed in every area of the game and notably had just 12 shots after two periods.

This appeared to be as close to a perfect game as can be played in January. The Oilers’ convincing win over the struggling Bruins shows Edmonton is in top form at we approach the halfway mark.