Claude Julien is at the end of his rope. If not job-wise, then at least certainly patience-wise.

Julien’s Boston Bruins dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday, a 5-1 snoozer to the Pittsburgh Penguins that leaves the Bruins hanging onto a playoff spot by two points with less than half the season remaining. It’s the 16th loss in the last 24 games for Boston, which only managed one goal on 44 shots against Penguins goalie Matt Murray.

Afterwards, Julien seemed to put his players and front office on notice.

Claude: "This is a team that needs all 20 guys going to win. We don't have enough talent to think we can get away with a mediocre game." — Fluto Shinzawa (@GlobeFluto) January 22, 2017

"A team that just got unraveled in the third period."



Watch Claude Julien postgame: pic.twitter.com/yEQH7rxSfD — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 22, 2017

Reading heavily between the lines, that “talent” line seems to lay the blame for the Bruins’ struggles at general manager Don Sweeney’s feet. Just as recently as Saturday, Julien said that he would accept his firing if the blame for the team’s struggles was at his feet.