Volatile goaltending and crucial counterattacks secure a high-scoring victory for the Ducks despite strong Bruins pressure.

The early part of this season is threatening to get away from the Bruins, who have lost five in a row after winning their first three games to open the campaign. After falling to Brad Marchand and the Panthers in an emotional game on Tuesday, Boston can stop that skid against the visiting Ducks on Thursday.

Casey Mittelstadt gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the first period. The forward crashed the net and knocked in the rebound of Pavel Zacha’s shot for his third goal of the season, and third point in two games. With the assist on the play, Zacha has four points (one goal, three assists) in the last three games.

A look at the top performers from Thursday's showdown between the Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks over at TD Garden.

BOSTON — Troy Terry snapped a tie in the third period, and the Ducks held off the Boston Bruins for a 7-5 victory Thursday night. Mikael Granlund had two goals and three assists for the Ducks in their second straight win. Terry and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Nesterenko had four assists.

BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins will try to end their five-game slide when they play the Anaheim Ducks. Boston has a 2-2-0 record in home games and a 3-5 record overall. The Bruins have a 1-3-0 record in games they have more penalties than their opponent.

The Boston Bruins put on an offensive outburst against the Anaheim Ducks. They scored five goals, which are usually enough to win a hockey game. However, the Bruins lost the game by two goals and are soul-searching for answers.