May 14, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman
Zdeno Chara(33) skates away as the Montreal Canadiens celebrate after Chara deflected a shot into his own goal during the third period of Montreal
Yes, you read that headline correctly, Zdeno Chara took it upon himself to skate before the Bruins practice today. While he isn’t cleared and has yet to take part in a team practice, this little tid bit of information is great news. Chara has been sidelined since October 23 with a torn PCL and this is the first time he has set foot on the ice. Chara skated for approximately 15 minutes lightly at his own leisure before taking some pictures with people on the ice for an open skate prior to the Bruins practice. Given his time table to sit out was 4-6 weeks and we have reached the one month mark, the progress is good news. What is even better? The defenseman didn’t appear to be in any pain and looked quite comfortable. While it is still early and too premature to pinpoint a return, he is inching his way there.
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Since the Bruins have been without Chara in the line up they have had some ups and some downs. They hold a record of 9-4-0 in his absence and their penalty kill, honestly, hasn’t suffered much. While they are 14-for-66 (20th overall) this season, they have gone 28-for-35 since October 25, their first game without Chara.
“Our penalty kill has been better the last few games,” Julien said. “You’ve got to hope it continues because we’re coming up against some teams that have pretty decent power plays.”
Tonight it will once again be put to the test as Pittsburgh has the top-ranked power play unit in the League. In the absence of Adam McQuaid, both Joe Morrow and Zach Trotman have seen some ample time alongside the special teams unit with 29 and 55 seconds of short-handed time respectively. Not that the Bruins really had a choice in the matter. Nonetheless, the faith Julien instills by placing them into those types of situations helps build confidence which improves that players development.
Eyes On Isles
“You play them and you’ve got to show trust in them and they’ve got to show they’re getting an opportunity and they’re going to take advantage of it.”-Claude Julien
It is no secret that the Bruins have missed having the big Z in their corner helping defend them and they and Bruins fans alike can’t wait for him to get back in action. While the steps may be small, improvements are being made and before we know it Chara will be back and better than ever. After all, the holiday season is nearing and miracles are prone to happen at these times of the year and after the season the Bruins have had thus far, they need all the miraculous events they can get.