[ad_1]
-
Emily KaplanESPN
ST. LOUIS – The Bruins could be deprived of captain Zdeno Chara for the fifth game, after the defender suffered a puck in the face during Boston's 4-2 defeat against the St. Louis Blues in the fourth game in the Stanley Cup final on Monday night.
The incident occurred in the second period. A shot by striker Brayden Schenn deflected off a stick and hit Chara in the face. The 42-year-old defender was bleeding profusely and the blood had to be cleaned on the ice to help Chara get to the locker room.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Chara had stitches and may need dental care later.
Cassidy said that the training staff had told him that Chara should be finished for the night even though he was ready to sit on the bench in the third period because he wanted to be with his teammates.
"That's the kind of guy he is, come on and support him," said Bruins forward Charlie Coyle. "You never want that to happen to anyone, especially a member of your team, who plays such an important role in our team, whether in terms of leadership or leadership.This is not a situation ideal, but a way to react to adversity, you see a lot during this time of the year ".
Cassidy said Chara will be re-evaluated on his return to Boston.
"I can not say whether he would play or not in Match 5, I have no idea," Cassidy said.
The fifth game will be held Thursday night in Boston. The series is tied to two games each.
This is not the first time Chara has faced a playoff injury. The 6-foot-9 defender missed the final match of the Eastern Conference final with an undisclosed injury, but he put on his uniform and skated to join his teammates in the usual handshake line. as a result of the fight.
Missing a Stanley Cup Playoff Game 2019? Want to relive a game? Each playoff game is available for retransmission on ESPN +. Watch now "
Chara returned to the Stanley Cup final after a 10-day layoff between the playoffs.
Chara is also injured near the end of the first game of the Stanley Cup final. Chara blocked a shot by Vladimir Tarasenko with a wrist injury. Chara, however, said it was only a break and he returned to training.
"It's a guy who wants to be out," said David Backes of the Bruins center. "He wants to fight and be with the guys … if there's a chance he's back he'll be back, otherwise he'll be the next man again." our next guy to have to fill this role admirably – and they are big feet to fill. "
The Bruins are already without one for their six best defenders; Matt Grzelcyk is in the concussion protocol after being tackled by Oskar Sundqvist in the second match. Grzelcyk has not played since, although earlier on Monday, Cassidy said he was "better than him" and was a candidate to return at some point in this series.
If Chara can not participate in the fifth game, the Bruins have several replacement options. Cassidy said the obvious choice would be veteran Steven Kampfer, who has Stanley Cup playoff experience. Kampfer played one game in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs and one game in the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring a goal.
However, Kampfer is a right defender and Chara, a left. It also means that the team will take into account 20-year-old Urho Vaakanainen (two regular season games) or Jeremy Lauzon, 22 (16 regular season games).
[ad_2]
Source link