Bruins choke in Game 7: Best regular season team in history played with fear

BOSTON — A bowl of orange slices was left in Jakub Lauko’s stall. An uneaten chocolate coconut almond bar was left behind in Pavel Zacha’s locker. The trash can adjacent to Hampus Lindholm’s spot overflowed with water bottles and tape.

Head equipment manager Keith Robinson stacked rolls of white and black tape neatly in the corner of the dressing room. Assistant equipment manager Keith Babineau wiped off the blades of Dmitry Orlov’s skates and hung them above his locker.

Goaltending coach Bob Essensa slung his backpack over his right shoulder and walked out of the coaches’ office. Assistant coach John Gruden followed soon after, the collar of his shirt undone and his tie nowhere to be seen.

Everything in the room seemed like it usually does after a game.

But there are no more games. The Bruins’ historical season is over after Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Panthers. Every regular-season accomplishment means nothing.

“Right now, it’s hard to process anything,” said Patrice Bergeron, his eyes still wet with tears. “We’re shocked and disappointed.”

Such conclusions are nothing new to Bergeron. Sunday marked the 12th time the 37-year-old lost his final game in the playoffs.

Bergeron’s pain, however, may have felt especially keen for two reasons. First, his 170th postseason game might have been his last. Bergeron suffered a herniated disc in his back in Game 82. Whether he wishes to put his body through more NHL hardship remains to be seen. Bergeron will take time to discuss his future with his family.

“Obviously, it’s very emotional,” David Pastrnak said of the possibility of saying goodbye to Bergeron and David Krejci. “You never know. You can’t stop time. You think about yourself as well. The career goes by fast. This one’s definitely going to hurt. As time goes the next couple weeks, months, it’s going to be more painful.”

Second, of all the years, this was the one Bergeron did not expect to end so swiftly.

The Bruins were the best regular-season team in NHL history. Bergeron (Selke Trophy), Linus Ullmark (Vezina Trophy) and coach Jim Montgomery (Jack Adams Award) can take home hardware in June for being the best at their respective positions. The Bruins were stacked everywhere. General manager Don Sweeney emptied his wallet in pursuit of trade deadline help.

All these things favored the Bruins in Round 1.

They grabbed a 3-1 series lead over a Florida team that didn’t qualify for the playoffs until Game 81. In Game 7, the Bruins poured three consecutive pucks past Sergei Bobrovsky to take a 3-2 lead into the final minute of regulation.

Shock always accompanies a premature ending. It is especially so with the 2022-23 Bruins.

Chokes hurt.

“It’s tough,” said Brad Marchand, the captain-in-waiting pending Bergeron’s decision. “We were hoping to make a good, long run here all together. It’s tough for everybody.”

The Bruins didn’t expect this to…