BOSTON — The Boston Bruins will be without one of their usual top-pairing defensemen Thursday night.
Zdeno Chara did not skate in warmups Thursday at TD Garden ahead of the B’s meeting with the Winnipeg Jets, meaning he won’t play.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy did not indicate after pregame skate that Chara would be out, and for now, the specific reason for Chara’s absence has not been disclosed.
However, Chara had an abscess in his jaw that he needed to take care of this week, according to Cassidy after Thursday’s morning skate. Chara’s jaw, of course, has required attention since he injured it during the 2019 postseason run, most recently a having a procedure on Dec. 23.
Cassidy indicated that Chara was “fine,” even though he took a punch to the jaw from Nashville Predators forward Yakov Trenin during a fight Tuesday.
With Chara out, here’s how the Bruins’ defense looked during pregame rushes.
Matt Grzelcyk–Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug–Brandon Carlo
John Moore–Steven Kampfer
