If you woke up on Wednesday expecting that there would be some wholesale changes on the Bruins’ roster after the team’s no-show performance against the Edmonton Oilers, well then you would have been disappointed.

In their late morning practice at Warrior Ice Arena, coach Joe Sacco ran out the same lines and defense pairs that were routed by the Oilers. He said that was a matter of convenience and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the lineup will look exactly the same.

But whether or not you’re in the bring-up-the-kids camp (this observer has at least one foot in it), it doesn’t change the fact that as a group the B’s have to play much better than they have been since the Christmas break. Matt Poitras and Fabian Lysell are interesting players who are now achieving at the AHL level and could be able to help, but not if the team plays like it did on Tuesday.

While there was talk of a lack of urgency in the dressing room after the loss, Sacco didn’t feel that as much as his team committing mistakes at the wrong time.

“I was more concerned with how we executed, especially with the puck, than the lack of urgency,” said Sacco. “Our play with the puck as far as turnovers is really starting to affect our game right now. I’ll go back three games now. A lack of urgency? A lack of desperation? No. Certainly you’d like to see more of that from certain individuals at points, but overall, no. It’s more about us executing with the puck, making the right decisions, the right plays at the right time. That’s the area we’re focused on.”

It seems like ancient history now, but the B’s had a December record of 8-2-1 going into the three-day holiday hiatus. They can be better than this.

One would have thought the game against an excellent Oilers team, one the B’s should have beaten in Edmonton on Dec.19, could have kick-started their slumbering psyche. That did not happen.

Now they go down to Tampa and Sunrise, Fla., to play two important games. Considering the Lightning have five games in hand on the Bruins and are just one point behind them, it seems like only a matter of time before the Bolts surpass the B’s in the standings. But the B’s can stave that off for the time being with the right kind of play.

“We’ve got to compete. We know the mistakes right now are killing us. I’ve made plenty of those,” said Charlie McAvoy, who had a costly giveaway on Connor McDavid’s breakaway goal. “We’ve all taken responsibility for our part in this. We know we can be better. We’ve seen what we can do and we can compete with good teams. This trip is really a great opportunity for us. We’re playing against two divisional teams, one’s in front of us and one’s either with us or right behind us. We have a lot to play for. We have everything to play for.”

But this team is thinner than the most recent vintage of Bruins. When some of the top players are struggling – as the second line of Brad Marchand-Elias Lindholm-Charlie Coyle is right now – there hasn’t been enough in the current lineup to pick up the slack. That’s how you wind up with five-game losing streaks, which is what the B’s are riding.

Both Sacco and the players said Wednesday’s session, which featured some 3-on-3 work, was a good, spirited one. We’ll see at 7 p.m. on Thursday what the yield is.

But if you’re looking for a more tangible positive aspect of their recent play, it’s at the most important position. Jeremy Swayman was the B’s best player on Tuesday. Yes, that’s a low bar, but he was very good in making 35 saves. If that can continue, that should be a source of confidence for the rest of the team.

“I thought (Tuesday) was a really good step for him,” said Sacco. “He’s been trending up lately anyway and he’s working hard to get his game to where he wants it to be. He gave us a chance to win. He kept us in that game. We had opportunities because of the saves that he made in that game. We just weren’t able to do that for him.”

Swayman said that the team had a good talk after the Oiler game and arrived at a “gut-check time.” He wants to do his part, but he also said that everyone on the roster can provide a spark.

“It’s every guy, no matter what the position is. When guys are making plays, are blocking shots, scoring goals, penalty kill, everything. And that’s my job as a role player, to make timely saves, giving the guys confidence and having the swagger in the net, and making sure they can trust in me in timely situations” said Swayman. “It’s contagious when it gets going. Just like (Trent Frederic) taking a big step and going to center ice (in a fight with Corey Perry, that ultimately led to McDavid’s power-play goal). That’s stuff we can all build on and it’s our job to react the right way from a big event like that.”

The B’s should have all the motivation they need for the trip, but they do have an added incentive. This is the mothers’ trip and such occasions have been known to be a good catapult for teams.

“There’s something about having family nearby and being close,” said McAvoy. “It definitely helps you mentally. This couldn’t come at a better time.”