The Bruins captain Zdeno Chara has had a rough ride in the Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues. Towards the end of Game One, he blocked a shot from Vladimir Tarasenko that injured his wrist. Luckily for the Bruins, he was back in the lineup for the start of Game Two.
He incurred a second injury after a blocked shot deflected off his stick and struck him in the face early in the second period of Game Four.
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A shot from Brayden Schenn deflected off a stick and struck Chara in the head. The 42-year-old defenseman fell to the ice bleeding, was helped off the ice, and didn’t return on until the third period. He was wearing a full face mask but stayed on the bench and did not play another shift.
Chara was bleeding profusely as he left the ice.
While the injury from Game One looked bad at the time, fortunately for the Bruins, Chara said it only required a few stitches.
After the game head coach Bruce Cassidy said Chara’s status for Game Five was uncertain, and that he only returned to support his teammates, not to play. Teammate Brandon Carlo said that Chara “was bleeding out of his mouth and couldn’t really talk on the bench.”
Zdeno Chara update per Bruce Cassidy: “Was very uncomfortable and was advised not to return…wanted to be on bench for his teammates. Don’t know his status for Game 5.” pic.twitter.com/Y59XnePA2e
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 4, 2019
With defenseman Matt Grzelcyk already out with a concussion after a hit that got the Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist suspended for one game, the Bruins could find themselves without two of their top defensemen going into what is now a best-of-three series.
