BOSTON — Zdeno Chara practiced with his Bruins teammates Tuesday for the first time since he tore the PCL in his left knee against the New York Islanders on Oct. 23.
Chara took part in contact and the 2-on-2 battle drills during practice, but head coach Claude Julien did not confirm his No. 1 defenseman’s status for Thursday night’s showdown against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden.
Julien did say that he’s more “optimistic” about Chara playing Thursday than veteran center David Krejci, who still hasn’t been cleared to play despite participating in practice.
“He’s in good shape. He looked good today and you can see he’s excited to get back,” Julien said of Chara. “So, that’s your captain we’re talking about here, so it’s nothing that’s surprising. I think it’s something that he’s always been that way and he’s one of those guys that sits up there and hates watching the team play. So he’s excited to have the opportunity to come back.”
Chara has missed 19 games, while Krejci has missed 17 with an undisclosed injury.
Bruins defenseman David Warsofsky also returned to practice Tuesday. He hasn’t played since Nov. 6 versus the Edmonton Oilers.
“He’s been cleared to practice,” Julien said of Warsofsky. “Again, I don’t know where he stands as far as games.”
These were the lines and pairings used at practice:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Loui Eriksson
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Reilly Smith
Matt Fraser-Chris Kelly-Gregory Campbell-Seth Griffith
Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Dennis Seidenberg-Kevan Miller
Torey Krug-Zach Trotman
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
