Zdeno Chara Out For Bruins In Game 4 Vs. Hurricanes
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins were without their captain as they tried to punch a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
Zdeno Chara was not on the ice for warmups in Raleigh on Thursday night, after rumors circulated throughout the day that he may miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Shortly thereafter, the Bruins officially announced that Chara would not be playing in the game.
The team did not give a reason for Chara's absence, only saying that the captain is "day-to-day."
UPDATE: Zdeno Chara (day-to-day) will not play in tonight's game.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 16, 2019
John Moore, who's been a healthy scratch for most of the playoffs, suited up in place of Chara.
Chara, 42, has played all 16 postseason games for the Bruins, after skating in 62 games during the regular season. In the playoffs, he ranks second on the team in time on ice, averaging 22:32 per game. (Charlie McAvoy leads the team with 24:28 average time on ice.) Chara has a goal and two assists to go with a plus-11 rating, which is the best such mark across the entire NHL this postseason.
Chara did experience some clear and obvious pain in Game 1 of this series against Carolina, after he blocked a shot off his foot in the opening period of the series. Chara did return, though, and ended up playing 19:24. He played for 24:58 in Game 2 and 22:06 in Game 3.
It will be Chara's first missed playoff game since Game 2 against Montreal in 2011. Since then, Chara has suited up for all 92 Bruins playoff games, averaging 26:23 of ice time, notching 10 goals and 27 assists, and registering a plus-44 rating.
For Game 1 of this series, Steven Kampfer was the choice to play. But for Game 4, head coach Bruce Cassidy opted for John Moore. The 28-year-old defenseman played in 61 games for Boston during the regular season but has skated in just four postseason games, registering zero points and a minus-4 rating.
In pregame line rushes, Moore skated on the third pair with rookie Connor Clifton. Matt Grzelcyk, who has three goals and four assists this postseason, moved up to the top pairing to skate with McAvoy.
UPDATE: The Bruins won, 4-0, in Carolina, to earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Cassidy said Chara is expected to be ready to play in Game 1 next week.