Peter Chiarelli's Confidence 'Average' As Bruins Prepare For Playoffs
BOSTON (CBS) -- Peter Chiarelli did not sugarcoat much of anything in his conference call with reporters on Monday afternoon, as the Bruins general manager admitted that his confidence in the team heading into the playoffs is not exactly sky-high.
"It's almost like you're only as good as your last shift. But the last month, I'd say our confidence level is average," Chiarelli said. "We haven't had a lot of success. I don't know what our record is in the last month [6-6-2] ... so [based on the] last month, I'd say it's average."
While Chiarelli was honest about his assessment of the team's play in April, he did say he felt encouraged by the team's efforts this week, despite a 1-1-1 record to show for it.
"I've like the physicality in the last three games," Chiarelli said. "I've liked the effort, it's been consistent. We are starting to generate more chances. We're not finishing those chances and we have to improve in that, but we're generating more chances. So the level of activity and intensity has picked up. That I like.
"As a message, I would want that to continue. Eventually, we will find our game, our execution, our skill level. We will find it if this other stuff is in place."
Chiarelli said that the team is "really going to have to step up" its performance from the second half of the season in order to succeed in the playoffs.
"I think it's happening a little bit, but I still stand by what I said. You can't turn on and off a switch, just expecting to have success after not performing at the proper level," Chiarelli said. "The last three games, I've seen snippets here, mostly from the emotional and physical standpoint. So we'll see."
The Bruins' first-round playoff series begins Wednesday night at the TD Garden at 7 p.m. against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
