WILMINGTON, Mass. -- The Boston Bruins can say all they want about their chances of earning a postseason berth, but their lip service is getting quite boring in light of their recent five-game losing skid.

It’s painful to hear the players say "we need to find ways to win" or “we believe in ourselves” or “we have the team to accomplish our goal.” Well, blah, blah, blah.

On the ice, the Bruins have lost their sense of urgency, physicality and emotion. In fact, this team seems to have lost its faith in itself. On Monday, the Ottawa Senators gained control of the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and pushed the Bruins to the outside.

Ottawa leads the Bruins by only one point, but with the way each team is playing, it seems like the Senators have a much wider margin in the standings. Ottawa is 17-2-2 in its last 21 games, and while the hockey world enjoys this incredible run by the Senators, fans in Boston are trying to make sense of what has happened to the Bruins this season.

Boston has nine games remaining in the regular season and that may not be enough time to fix yet another funk. After the team’s practice Tuesday at Ristuccia Arena, all the players were answering questions with the standard company lines. But when coach Claude Julien was asked whether this team has the character to reverse its current trend and still earn a playoff spot, he gave an honest answer: “The next nine games will show that.”

There's no doubt that if the Bruins can somehow dig deep and earn a playoff spot, then they will be a dangerous opponent. The problem is that this team has shown only glimpses of that ability all season. Boston’s inconsistent play in every aspect of the game has been tough to watch. Goaltender Tuukka Rask said those inconsistencies have been the team’s Achilles heel all season.

“This is the final time to figure it out,” he said.

Perhaps it is too late for this team to regain its motivation. It hasn't given fans any reason to believe otherwise.

After a 42-minute practice Tuesday, the Bruins answered questions about their recent skid and about their confidence in their ability to earn that postseason berth.

So, begin the lip service in 3, 2, 1...

“Yeah, I do,” Rask said. “As we’ve talked about all year long, we know we can play against anybody in this league when we play our game. It is a mystery that we can’t seem to figure that out, but it’s about time to figure it out and start playing our game and believing in it.”

Added forward Milan Lucic: "I definitely believe. You have to believe at this point. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You can’t dwell on the situation that we’ve put ourselves in. You have to try to get into that positive mindset, that competitive mindset that’s going to get you over that edge, and I truly believe this group has it within itself to get ourselves in that playoff spot.”

If the Bruins fail to reach the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, changes to their roster will undoubtedly be made during the offseason. The players understand that and they believe it won’t be an issue.

“Oh, yeah we can, definitely,” said defenseman Torey Krug when asked if this team still has enough left to reach the playoffs. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re doing the right things. That commitment level hasn’t been there consistently, and if we bring that back and start playing the way we know we’re capable of then we can start winning some games.”

Boston’s schedule isn’t an easy one, either. This final stretch begins when the Bruins host the Anaheim Ducks Thursday at TD Garden. Also remaining on the schedule are the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers (two games), Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning.

We’re past the point of 'put up or shut up.'

“We’ve talked enough. It’s time to go out there and play," said Rask. "When you’re living in the most crucial time of the year and you say, ‘Just go out there and play’ it’s easier said than done. It takes a lot of mental strength and that’s what we need.”

Right now, the Bruins have their heads somewhere else and they need to pull it together, show some character and finish strong. Maybe having three days off between games will help. It better, because time's running out.