Zdeno Chara debuted a new jersey for the first time in 14 seasons, and he showed he’s not afraid to put up big minutes at age 43.
The 6-foot-9 defenseman took the ice as a member of the Washington Capitals against the Buffalo Sabres in their season opener Thursday night. And it appeared Chara wasted no time taking on a large role on the blue line.
Chara was a plus-2 in 20:16 of ice time in the 6-4 win. He spent 18:13 of those minutes playing 5-on-5, which was tied for second on the Caps.
The defenseman was tasked with defending Buffalo’s top line of Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall and Tage Thompson, and did pretty well, with the Sabres getting outshot 5-1 when Chara and Eichel were on the ice.
All in all, it was a pretty solid debut for Chara, who looks to keep the momentum going Friday against Buffalo.
