If there’s anything we learned about the Bruins on their just completed four-game road trip it’s that they’ve got some issues..

They can’t hold a lead in the third period, which they’ve begun to approach timidly. They take bad stick penalties. They can’t come up with timely defensive zone faceoff wins. They can’t close the deal in extra time. And those are just a few of their warts, some of which have surfaced recently, others that have been with them most of the season.

For the sixth straight time, the B’s went beyond regulation and, for the third consecutive time, they took the L.

After Jake DeBrusk was stoned on a clean breakaway in overtime, Kailer Yamamoto was the only player to score in the shootout and the B’s lost to the Seattle Kraken, 4-3, on Monday at Climate Pledge Arena.

The B’s took five of a possible eight points on the trip and head home in a points tie with the Vancouver Canucks for first overall, a place few thought they’d be inhabiting at this point in the season. But they have just one regulation win in the month of February and coach Jim Montgomery after the game lamented the lack of “killer instinct.” Captain Brad Marchand concurred.

“We should have done a much better job of closing those out,” said Marchand. “It’s a little disappointing because we had an opportunity to have a much better road trip. That’s where the expectations are. You go into the third with a lead and you expect to win the game. And we have to. Coming down the stretch and playoff time, you have to be able to win those games.”

There were some troubling similarities to Saturday’s loss in Vancouver, though they did overcome some adversity, including having a goal wiped out and a late penalty they had to kill.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead in the first period and had chances to do more damage.

The goal at 5:33 came off a fortunate bounce and pretty finish by David Pastrnak. A Seattle dump-in attempt bounced off Jesper Boqvist near the right wall and ricocheted into the defensive slot for Kevin Shattenkirk, who was back in the lineup after Derek Forbort (missed meeting) was scratched. Shattenkirk gave a one-touch pass up the middle of the ice for Pastrnak at the Seattle blue line. Moving in on clean break-in, Pastrnak beat Philipp Grubauer with an off-speed shot past the goalie’s glove. It was Pastrnak’s 700th career point.

The B’s dominated the early going of the first – Justin Brazeau missed a chance for a tap-in before the Pastrnak goal – but the Kraken made a push later in the period,, partially due to some Bruin sloppiness in their own end at times. But the B’s, who had an 11-7 shot advantage in the first, and Linus Ullmark managed to get out of the first wit their slim lead.

It didn’t last much longer in the second period. After Brazeau was called for a very questionable hooking penalty, the Kraken tied it on an Ullmark gaffe at 4:45. The B’s had been doing a good job of killing off the penalty when a harmless-looking puck rolled in on Ullmark. Instead of pulling it back for the oncoming Parker Wotherspoon to play behind the net, he tried to clear it himself and hand-delivered it to Jordan Eberle right in front of him for the open-net goal.

The B’s survived more penalty trouble when Brandon Carlo was called for cross-checking and, with 24 seconds left on that infraction, the B’s were whistled for another obvious too-many-men, which cost them in overtime on Saturday in Vancouver.

Eventually, the B’s started to spend some time in the offensive zone and Pastrnak’s second goal of the game and 38th of the year at 17:08. The B’s continually kept the puck alive in the offensive zone until Charlie McAvoy held his ground at the blue line to keep the puck in. Pavel Zacha chased the puck down behind the net and fed it out front for Pastrnak’s quick one-timer from 10 feet out to make it 2-1.

But the B’s started the third period like they did in Vancouver – on their heels. The Kraken got the first eight shoots on net and, at 5:29, the inevitable occurred. After Trent Frederic lost a defensive zone draw, Vince Dunn beat Ullmark from the top of the left circle to even it up.

After Morgan Geekie took a bad neutral zone tripping penalty, the B’s survived a wild Seattle power play when it looked like they had a couple of chances with Ullmark seeemingly down and out.

Geekie then came out of the box and scored what he thought was a go-ahead goal at 10:47 when he took a pass from Frederic and made a hard move to the net. It appeared he scored on a continuous motion after making contact with Grubauer. Seattle challenged for goalie interference and, after an extremely lengthy review, the goal was wiped off the boards.

And with 5:30 left in regulation, Seattle got the go-ahead. After Brad Marchand fell down just outside the Boston blue line trying to jump in the air to get Matt Grzelcyk’s pass, the Kraken went on the attack. Will Borgen stepped into a slapper that was tipped home and Oliver Bjorkstrand. And for the first time, the B’s were on the chase.

But when the B’s got their first power play on a phantom tripping call on Jordan Eberle – a good break of their own — Pastrnak’s shot apparently tipped off Charlle Coyle to tie it with eight seconds left on the PP and 2:52 in regulation, beating Grubauer with a wrist shot form the top of the right circle.

They couldn’t get it to overtime without more drama, however.. Danton Heinen was called for an offensive zone high stick on a bent-over Dunn with 2:27 left in the third. They did kill and get it to overtime.