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Kalman: Success Without Chara Pleasing But Not Satisfying to Neely, Jacobs

BOSTON (CBS) -- When Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara tore a ligament in his left knee while hitting New York Islanders forward John Tavares on Oct. 23, it seemed like it was time to lower expectations.

Four to six weeks within a season can make or break a club's postseason fortunes. The Bruins hadn't lived without Chara for more than a couple of games since the captain signed with Boston in the summer of 2006. Everyone knew the Bruins wouldn't give up, but no one could predict how they would perform with such a glaring absence.

Defenseman Kevan Miller was already out of the lineup when Chara got hurt. During Chara's absence, which hit the four-week mark on Thursday, defensemen Torey Krug and David Warsofsky, and forwards David Krejci and Brad Marchand have also missed time.

Yet as they head for a Friday night matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Bruins are 8-3-0 without Chara. And they sit third in the Atlantic Division with a 12-8-0 record.

That they're actually thriving and not diving without Chara should be a cause for celebration around the Bruins. Yet there seems to be little satisfaction with the higher-ups of the organization, who gathered at TD Garden on Thursday for a ribbon cutting at the new pro shop.

"Well I have to be happy with the points we've been able to accumulate considering what's gone on," Bruins president Cam Neely said. "We've got some ugly points. ... I think even the guys that are healthy enough to be in the lineup would say that they could play better as we move forward. As an athlete, you're always striving to be better no matter. You could have your best game, you still want to be better than that. But overall to get the points we've been able to accumulate with the issues we've had does speak volumes to the character of the group. But I certainly don't want to underscore the fact that we can play better."

Principal Charlie Jacobs also didn't sound ready to throw any bouquets at his team or grade the Bruins on a curve based on their damaged lineup.

"Boy, early and mixed returns. It doesn't seem like we can get healthy," Jacobs said. "We've had our challenges on defense, the guys coming back fourth. [Adam McQuaid's] injury the other night, just another tough example of what we're going through. But listen, I thought, in particular the way we played Tuesday against such a powerful team in St. Louis [a 2-0 win], really showed that we can play that up-tempo game. And at that moment I thought we had some good promise, so hopefully we can carry that forward to this week."

Regardless of what you think about how the Bruins played or the quality of their opponents, it has to be refreshing to know that the people with the greatest power in this organization aren't trying to sell you on the notion that just because the record is positive the team is destined for greatness. Those who are calling the shots aren't distracted by numbers or point totals. They're looking at the quality of play and looking at the big picture of how the Bruins stack up against the best in the league. Even with a decimated roster, the Bruins are thinking about how this team will fare in March, April, May and maybe June.

"Well you're really looking at the effort and compete level. That's what I look at," Neely said. "You certainly look at your lineup and your roster and who's in, who's out. But you're not going to play great every game, but I want to see that compete level and that effort level. Generally speaking, when we play the way we're capable of playing and have the compete and the effort, we do pretty well. But if we don't have the compete and effort, you're not going to win in this league."

The competition gets stiffer for the Bruins in the weeks ahead. Home games against Montreal, Pittsburgh and surprising Winnipeg precede the dreaded road trip to face the three California teams, plus a stop in Arizona. Miller's due back this weekend, Krejci should be ready to be a lineup fixture again and Chara might be back with a couple weeks. No matter who's playing, we'll know more about these Bruin when they jet back from the West Coast.

There's perspective, though, among the Bruins' front office personnel. Some organizations would be popping champagne after earning so many wins during a stretch without a player of Chara's caliber. Neely and Jacobs aren't getting the Duck Boats ready, as the slogan goes, just because the Chara-less Bruins have stayed in contention. That tells you a lot about how far the organization has come and bodes well for the future.

Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.

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