Bruins Expect To Have Zdeno Chara Back In Lineup Saturday Night
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins played without Zdeno Chara on Thursday night, as he was a surprising late scratch for their 5-4 win over the Jets. But they don't expect to be without their captain on Saturday when they visit the Islanders.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy said Friday that he expects that Chara will be back on Boston's top blue-line paring on Saturday night.
The 42-year-old underwent additional surgery on his jaw on Dec. 23, a procedure that removed some of the hardware that was put in after Chara broke his jaw during Boston's Stanley Cup run last season. Chara had screws and plates removed from his jaw after he developed an infection in the area.
Chara missed just one game for that procedure, and returned to the ice a few days later without a protective shield. He probably could have used one earlier this week though, when he took a punch to the jaw from Nashville's Yakov Trenin on Tuesday night.
In 43 games this season, Chara has five goals and eight assists. He is averaging 21 minutes of ice time per game, and is a plus-17 for the season.