"I feel good about our team," he said in a conference call Sunday. "I think we have more skill, because I think our skill has matured from last year."
Boston, the No. 2 seed in the East, opens the playoffs Thursday against Washington. The Capitals were a bit of a surprise as the first-round opponent — up until the final day of the regular season, it looked like the Ottawa Senators would be coming to Boston.
"We’re facing a pretty formidable foe to start," Chiarelli said. "We haven’t matched up well against Washington, and we kind of caught them when we were in a bit of a downswing each time, it seems. So, it's going to be a good test to start."
Boston is 1-3 against Washington this season, including a shootout loss.
"I've gotten over the hoping to play somebody thing over the years," Chiarelli added. "At some point, you'll have to play these teams and beat them. Oftentimes, the season matchup doesn't translate into the postseason matchup. Record shows we haven't played as well against Washington, and for that reason it will probably be a tough opponent. [I'm] not disappointed — just ready to move on and face them as tough opponents. Ottawa would've been just as hard."
Chiarelli didn't go into detail about what on-ice matchups to expect, but he did acknowledge some things will change. All four Capitals-Bruins games this year were high-scoring affairs, with Washington winning 5-3 on Jan. 24, 4-3 on March 10 and 3-2 in a shootout on March 29. Boston’s sole victory came Feb. 5, when the Bruins won 4-1.
"[Zdeno] Chara takes pride in shutting down [Alex] Ovechkin, so I think obviously you're going to see that matchup," Chiarelli said. "They have some good skill, some real good shooters, and it's important to keep those guys on the outside inside."
Chiarelli emphasized that the Bruins will aim to play to their strengths rather than trying to thwart Washington’s advantages. That includes dealing with Washington coach Dale Hunter's tendency to manipulate player and line matchups.
"I think that plays to [coach] Claude [Julien]'s strength because he can respond, mix the lines a little bit," Chiarelli said. "… So, I think you'll see some of those games, too, within the game."
Scoring quick is also important, Chiarelli said, especially with Washington bringing in a young goalie, Braden Holtby. The Bruins have never faced Holtby.
The B's are also still facing questions about who will play for them. Chiarelli said defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid are "day-to-day in their respective injuries." Nathan Horton is likely a "long shot" to play again this year. Chiarelli was hopeful, however, about backup goalie Tuukka Rask, who has "been pretty aggressive with his rehab" and has a good chance of being ready for postseason action.
The Bruins will also draw heavily in this year's playoffs on their experience from last year's Stanley Cup run. Chiarelli said he's already seen hints of last season's battle-hardened team emerge this season, from the team staying tough and pulling out wins in the final stretch of the regular season to the overall confidence level of the players headed into the first round.
"You can never underestimate the value of the experience," he said. "I've seen that grow with our group. … We've gained a lot from winning the Cup."
The Bruins haven't always looked like they were in good shape for a championship repeat. After a rough 3-7 start, Boston righted the ship only to stumble again.
Chiarelli said this season at times felt like "three different seasons — the start, the great stretch and the mediocrity in the middle."
"We knew we were facing some challenges this year, and we took every effort to try and deal with them in advance, prepare for them in advance, and whether we addressed them or not, we got through the season, and I'm satisfied," he said. "… It seems whenever I describe a season, I always talk about ups and downs, so that's part of what happens in the season, and we certainly saw that this year."
"I'm satisfied that we got through it," he said, "and we are where we are now."
That is, playoff-bound and hungry.
