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Bruins GM Chiarelli has gotten used to finishing strong

Peter Chiarelli

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli addresses reporters as he announces trade deadline day transactions in Boston, Monday Feb. 27, 2012. Chiarelli said the Bruins acquired forward Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau from the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Yannick Riendeau and defenseman Marc Cantin. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

AP

Heading into the playoffs with confidence is important for some teams. For Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, he’s got plenty of confidence in his team and why shouldn’t he? Chiarelli saw the Bruins rise up and storm through the playoffs winning three Game 7s on their way to the Stanley Cup last season.

This time around, he tells CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty that success has helped him get used to ending the season on a strong note.

“The season itself felt really like three different seasons, the start, the great stretch and the mediocrity in the middle,” Chiarelli says.

“The good finish is what I’ve grown accustomed to so I don’t put that as an additional part. Those kinds of lines were drawn into segments. It seems whenever I describe a season I always talk about ups-and-downs, so that’s part of what happens in the season.”

Chiarelli says he liked how the Bruins closed out the year in their final eight or nine games (Boston went 7-1-1 in their last nine) and that he likes how the team is set heading into the playoffs.

Even though the Bruins likely won’t see much, if anything, from Nathan Horton and defensemen Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk are banged up as well, the defending champs are set to be strong contenders to win it all again this year.

If Chiarelli can get one more good finish from his team this postseason, he might actually start to like all parts of the season next year.