The Boston Bruins crucial five game road trip couldn’t have possibly gotten off to a worse start. Claude Julien’s team spotted the Vancouver Canucks two goals in the first period and could never really get back into the game eventually losing 5-2.

It was a night of unforced mistakes and not taking care of the puck in their own zone. It was much of the same in other words from the last week. The Black and Gold have now dropped three in a row and four of their last five games, but are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern conference.

The B’s will look to get back on track against the Calgary Flames tonight who are also holding on for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Flames beat the Canucks Saturday night 3-2 and now own a 16-11-2 record at home while the Black and Gold dropped to 11-11-3 away from TD Garden with their in Vancouver Friday night.

This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Bruins won both games against the Flames last year.

[Looking to catch Bruins-Flames in Calgary tonight? Check out last-minute ticket prices on TicketMonster]

Here is your complete Bruins-Flames preview:

Gametime: 9:00 PM
Records: Bruins 28-20-7 (63 points)/Flames 31-22-3 (65 points)
TV/Radio: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome

Bruins’ projected lines:

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Reilly Smith
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Loui Eriksson
Chris Kelly-Carl Soderberg-David Pastrnak
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Craig Cunningham

Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Dennis Seidenberg-Adam McQuaid
Torey Krug-Kevan Miller

Tuukka Rask
Niklas Svedberg

Flames’ projected lines:

Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Jiri Hudler
Lance Bouma-Mikael Backlund-David Jones
Curtis Glencross-Josh Jooris-Mason Raymond
Paul Byron-Matt Stajan-Joe Colborne

Mark Giordano-T.J. Brodie
Kris Russell-Dennis Wideman
Raphael Diaz-Deryk Engelland

Jonas Hiller
Karri Ramo

Who to watch for Bruins: Zdeno Chara

There have been many questions surrounding Zdeno Chara over the past few weeks. Can he still play at a high level? Should the Bruins trade him before it is too late? Well, his statistics show that he is having a rough few weeks. Over Chara’s last three games, he is sporting a minus-6 rating without a point and only five shots on net. He has been getting beat to the puck more than normal due to the speed of his opponents.

Chara’s window hasn’t closed quite yet, but he hasn’t scored a goal since January 7th against the Penguins – a span of 15 games. Chara has three goals and 10 assists on the season while sporting a minus-3.

The B’s captain did come back from a tough leg injury and he is up there in age, but the 6-foot-9 defenseman can still bring the physicality and edge. Chara needs to lead on this road trip whether it is with his fists or his rocket of a slap shot.

Who to watch for Flames: Johnny Gaudreau

The former Boston College product and last year’s Hobey Baker winner is having a very solid rookie year for the Flames.

Gaudreau has 15 goals, 27 assists and a plus-8 rating while his team is in the playoff picture. In his last five games, the 21 year-old has four assists while averaging upwards of 15 minutes per game.

He hasn’t scored a goal in nine games where he netted two against the Buffalo Sabres, but Gaudreau is always a threat to let loose especially against a slow blue line for the Black and Gold. It could be another long night for the B’s defense if they don’t slow down the 5-foot-9 left-winger.

Game day edge: Eliminate the turnovers in own end

If there is one thing Julien is ticked off about, it’s the play of his team in their own end. It has been tough to watch over the past week. The Black and Gold need to get back to their style of play in the month of January where they were on a roll.

On Boston.com: Defensive breakdowns, lack of urgency, cost Bruins in loss to Canucks

The mistakes have the B’s playing catch up almost every single night and with this road trip off to a bad start, it is in their best interest to take care of the puck in Calgary Monday night.

Their game needs to consist of the tape-to-tape passes, getting pucks in deep, fore and back checking and heavy checking. They haven’t done any of that during their three-game losing streak.

Taking care of the puck is the key to victory in this one. Otherwise, Julien’s squad will face more scrutiny and that’s the last thing that they need.