Boston Bruins: Zdeno Chara, David Krejci out for Western road trip.

Oct 21, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman

(33) during their game against the San Jose Sharks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins were hoping that Zdeno Chara would be making the road trip, but it was decided that it wasn’t in the best interest of the club to get Chara playing out west. He’s been out of the lineup for fourteen games, and the Bruins have missed his massive 6’9″ frame on the ice. While Chara has been undergoing conditioning training and is close to making his return the coaching staff and the medical team didn’t think it was the right time for Big Z’s return.

“You know, we’re gone for eight days now, so I can’t predict what’s going to happen after eight days,” said Claude Julien on Chara’s status. “You’d like to hope [he’s close to returning], but I don’t know. [The trainers are] going at the stage here where they didn’t think it was an advantage to bring him with us on the trip and he’d be better served staying behind and rehabbing and skating here on his own with Krech.”

“[David’s] staying behind, going to do the same thing as Zdeno,” Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien on David Krejci not making the road trip

That statement confirmed that the Bruins would be without their top line center as well as their captain when the B’s head out west. David Krejci missed practice as he continues to battle with an undisclosed, lower body injury. That injury has kept Krejci out of the last few games. (Let’s be honest here, unless three members of the media saw the injury occur, than Claude Julien will call all injuries on Boston players as ‘undisclosed’.)

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The loss of Krejci and Chara will be felt by the B’s. The California road trip is usually a strong measuring stick on how the Bruins are doing as a team. The San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and the Los Angeles Kings are three powerhouse teams in the Western Conference. The Black and Gold have to play their best hockey if they expect to get points out of any of the California teams. The team will wrap up their four game road trip in Arizona as they take on the Coyotes.

The Bruins bench boss has no illusions over what the team is in for. “LA winning two Cups in the last three years,” offered Julien after the practice. “Anaheim always being one of the top teams in the Western Conference, and I know San Jose has had their fair share of challenges this year, too, but every time we’ve gone there it’s been real close games, so that’s going to be a challenge. And Arizona – even though we win there, that always seems like a tough rink to play in, so it is challenge for us.”

The Bruins have a soft date for Chara’s return set. He’s expected back on the ice December 11th.

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The Bruins will need every point they can get. A black and blue Bruins team has managed to stay afloat going into the month of November. They’re currently only four points out of first place in the Conference. That they have been able to do that while playing games with a third of their salary cap in the press box is impressive (borderline amazing). The Bruins took the precaution of recalling Zach Trotman to Boston so they’ll have the flexibility of having seven defensemen available. The action starts for the B’s tomorrow night as they take on the Anaheim Ducks.