BOSTON, MA — Entering the final four weeks of the regular-season, the good news for the Boston Bruins (42-17-15, 99 points) is they have exceeded all expectations and will finish in first or second place in the Atlantic Division. The not-so-good news for the Bruins is that they have only four weeks remaining in the 2023-24 season and unlike last season when they finished with the best record in NHL history (65-12-5, 135 points) and were rolling full speed ahead into the playoffs, Boston does not look like a team that is ready for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.

What’s worse, after the team practiced on Monday, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said what everyone was thinking.

“I don’t think our team’s ready for the playoffs,” said Montgomery.

Not exactly words of comfort four weeks before the commencement of the postseason.

Boston bolted out of the starting gate when this season began by going 8-0-1 in October. They finished November by compiling an overall record of 15-4-3 and when the new year arrived, the Bruins led the division and were second overall in the League at 22-7-6. Add a 9-2-3 January, and the season continued to sail along at 31-9-9, 71 points). The Bruins were tied with the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the overall standing and for the second consecutive year, life was good in Beantown.

However…

Since the calendar flipped to February, the Black and Gold have struggled to regain the momentum from the first four months of the schedule.

Since February 1, Boston has skated to a 10-6-6 record.

Along the way, the Bruins have developed difficulties in moving pucks out of their defensive zone resulting in turnovers that have landed in the back of the Bruins’ net. Unfortunately, a few of those giveaways have come when the club was trying to hold onto leads in the third period, Some of those leads that disappeared resulted in losses in regulation time, overtime, or in shoot-outs.

In February and March, the Bruins lost third period leads in losses to the Los Angeles Kings (overtime on February 17), Vancouver (overtime on February 24), Seattle Kraken (shootout on February 26), and Edmonton Oilers (overtime on March 5).

Boston overcame a two-goal deficit on February 13 against Tampa Bay only to see the Lightning win the contest in a shootout. Nine days later (February 22), the Bruins came from behind to tie the Calgary Flames 2:33 into the third period but the Flames ended up with the overtime victory.

It is a concern that the club’s 15 overtime/shoot-out losses could be a harbinger of things to come if the Bruins continue down this slippery slope.

“It’s been consistent throughout the year,” said Montgomery. “We have good stretches where we manage a game (then) we get away from it. You can’t get away from it. You just can’t give a game away in the playoffs because you don’t get to play the following week if you do it.”

Had the Bruins won seven to nine of those 15 games, they most likely would have their second consecutive Presidents Trophy (best league record and most points) wrapped up.

To their credit, win or lose, coach Jim Montgomery and the players have said the club was continuing to build its game in preparation for the postseason but over the last seven weeks, the team has shown that it is not where it needs to be with the playoffs around the corner.

“What wins and loses in the playoffs, are the details,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said. “One mistake is enough to cost you a game. It’s not something you can turn on and off come playoff time. You need to be really detailed going down the stretch. Your game has to be, not perfect, you’re never going to get there, but you need to strive for that every day.

“We need to be prepared in every minute of the game to take care of the puck and be on top of our structure and when we do that, we’re a great team. When we get away from that, we’re not.”

There is time for Boston to become a great team. Of course, in today’s world of instant gratification, that is expected to happen before you finish reading this piece. I assure you, it is going to take more time than that. It is a process. A process that, for most teams, carries through the playoffs. Ask the players who have their names on the Stanley Cup and they will tell you that their teams were not as great in Game 1 of the opening round as it was on the night it won hockey’s ultimate prize.

Montgomery knows his team has the potential to be great. He also knows what it will take for it to reach its potential.

“What needs to change is more accountability and our team valuing playing the right way always,” said Montgomery. “Consistently know who we are, individually, to help the Bruins have success as a team and who’s going to be able to raise their level of play as we play desperate teams, Who’s all in? Who’s going to make plays? Who wants the puck? Who wants to be a difference-maker for us offensively and defensively? Everybody’s gotta take ownership.”

For the Bruins to become a champion, those questions will need to be answered on the ice within four weeks and perhaps, beyond.