NHL Notebook: A tale of two defensemen

There were two significant milestones for the Boston Bruins on Saturday. It was a reason to glimpse into the past for one player, and then also realize the bright future for another. Captain Zdeno Chara played in his 1,400th career NHL game, while rookie Charlie McAvoy returned to the lineup after missing four games due to a heart procedure.

Obviously, health comes first and it was great to see McAvoy, 20, in the lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden and back playing with Chara as the team's top defensive pairing. Let's start with Chara's accomplishments and recognize his future Hall of Fame career. He's won a Stanley Cup, a Norris Trophy and is a seven-time All-Star. The 40-year-old is in incredible shape and is playing some of his best hockey than he has in the last few seasons. He was emotional and genuine when discussing his recent milestone.

Chara described it as a special moment and quickly thanked those closest to him, including his parents, wife and kids. He also recognized his teammates past and present.

"In our business you are measured by wins and losses, but those moments when you have those highs and lows, that’s when you really rely on your teammates to support you and give you the special, special push and energy," Chara said. "Over the course of 20-plus years, I’ve been very lucky that I had really good teammates that I could always rely on, and this group is very special. We have many players with so many great personalities that I feel very fortunate to have the teammates that I have. So, it’s a special team."

Chara and the Bruins have discussed a contract extension, and while both sides want it done, there hasn't been serious talks since training camp. The team and its captain are focused on the task at hand, but Chara is certain a deal will get done. The majority of pro athletes in a contract year tend to play to the best of their ability in order to get paid. No doubt Chara is focused this season and he wants to play many more games in his NHL career.

"I enjoy playing the game," he said. "I can’t put a number on it, but I want to continue to play. I feel great, I enjoy working hard, I want to get better continuously, and so I want to play until I can and be effective. Like I said, it’s fun. It’s fun being around guys and see how they’re growing as a player, as a person. So, yeah, those are the days I’m really looking forward to and I don’t want to be finishing playing yet."

While Chara is writing the conclusion to his story, McAvoy is starting the prologue.

The rookie was never so happy to return to practice earlier this week after undergoing a  procedure to treat an abnormal heart rhythm on Jan. 22. Even though it was described as a "minor" procedure, it's always serious when it comes to a person's heart. Everything went well and he was back on the ice after a week of rest and was cleared for full participation and game action after his follow-up appointment last Wednesday.

He normally plays close to 25 minutes per game, but the game plan was to somehow ease him back on Saturday, especially since the team didn't have a full practice after he was cleared. Still, he logged 18:51 of ice time and was a plus-1. It was a positive return, and despite a few areas of rust, he showed no ill effects. After Boston's 4-1 win over the Atlantic Division rivals, McAvoy said he wanted to stay in the moment, not think about his recent procedure and wanted to impact the game.

"Coming back is never easy when you want to get right back into game speed and start making plays and the stuff you were doing before. That will come and that’s fine," McAvoy said. "There were glimpses of that where I’m coming back and making these plays and they’re going to continue to come. So, I feel good."

McAvoy's talent and confidence levels are off the charts. He's a candidate for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie, and even if he doesn't win that accolade at season's end, his future is extremely bright. It also helps that he's under Chara's tutelage for the foreseeable future. Their relationship on and off the ice is a perfect example of one generation passing it on to the next.

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The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are heating up. Not only did they post a season-high seven goals in a 7-4 win over the Washington Capitals on Friday, it was the Penguins' fourth consecutive win before losing to the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Saturday. Pittsburgh's best players have been producing. Veteran forward Evgeni Malkin has been a beast. During the team's recent win streak, he registered seven goals and three assists for 10 points in three games. He also scored Pittsburgh's lone goal against the Devils. Malkin leads the NHL with 15 goals in 14 games since Jan. 1. Teammate Sidney Crosby had his 11-game point streak (three goals and 19 assists for 22 points) snapped during Saturday's loss to the Devils. The Penguins' Phil Kessel is also getting it done offensively with 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points in 54 games this season, which is the second-most point in the NHL behind Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov's 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points in 52 games.

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As Bruins fans hope McAvoy wins the Calder Trophy, it'll be tough to surpass New York Islanders rookie Mathew Barzal. He was recently named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January with three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 13 games. He's an outstanding talent and could be one of the reasons why captain John Tavares decides to sign a contract extension to stay with the organization. Overall, Barzal, who was the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has 16 goals and 37 assists for 53 points in 53 games. The 20-year-old forward also has a pair of five-point performances. Also in contention for the Calder Trophy is Arizona's Clayton Keller and Vancouver's Brock Boeser.

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Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg registered the 605th assist of his NHL career to pass former teammate Pavel Datsyuk for sole possession of fifth place on the franchise’s all-time assists list. Steve Yzerman is first with 1,063, followed by Gordie Howe (1,023), Nicklas Lindstrom (878) and Alex Delvecchio (825). . . . Erik Haula became the third Golden Knights player to reach the 20-goal mark this season, joining William Karlsson (27) and James Neal (22). Vegas became the first team with at least three 20-goal scorers in its inaugural NHL season since 1979-80, when the Edmonton Oilers (6), Hartford Whalers (4), Quebec Nordiques (4) and Winnipeg Jets (4) all had at least four players hit the mark.