Zdeno Chara out for Game 4, John Moore set to slot in on blue line

RALEIGH, N.C. — A win on Thursday night for the Bruins will clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in eight years for the Original Six club. But if the B’s want to take care of business in Game 4 against the Hurricanes, they’re going to have to do without captain Zdeno Chara.

The 42-year-old defenseman did not take part in warmups roughly 30 minutes ahead of puck drop at PNC Arena, with John Moore slotting in as the starter in Chara’s absence. The Bruins announced that Chara is officially "day to day" with an undisclosed injury. 

Chara has appeared in 16 playoff games during this Cup run with Boston, scoring a goal and adding two assists while posting a plus-11 rating. He logged 22:06 TOI in Tuesday’s Game 3 victory over the ‘Canes — and is averaging 22:32 of ice time so far in the postseason.

Chara was not spotted at practice on Wednesday afternoon, but with Tuukka Rask also absent, it was viewed as just a regular maintenance day for the veteran skater.

BSJ Analysis



The Bruins have the Hurricanes in a stranglehold this series with a commanding 3-0 series lead, but Chara’s absence can’t be understated.

For as much as the blueliner struggled during both the Toronto and Columbus series, especially when pressured with the puck on his stick — he’s rebounded against Carolina, with the Hurricanes failing to tally a single 5v5 goal in the 51:15 of ice time in which Chara has been out skating.

Chara’s value has also been felt as the anchor on the penalty kill, where the Bruins have killed off the last 11 power-play opportunities for Carolina. Dating back to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Boston’s PK has now negated 22 of the opposition's last 23 stints on the man advantage. During Game 3 in particular, Chara was a horse — logging a full 2:00 PK shift during a 4-on-3/5-on-3 sequence for the Hurricanes, with Carolina only landing three shots on goal during that stretch, from an average distance of 40 feet. 

With Chara out, Moore will get the call — with the veteran returning to game action for the first time since April 23 — Game 7 against the Maple Leafs. He will slot in on a third pairing with Connor Clifton, while Boston's top D pair will be Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk. Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug will hold steady as the second D pair.

Not a good start for Boston in a potential series clincher, but given the breathing room that Boston has manufactured for itself, the club does have a bit of a window to rest a player like Chara for a game if he's dealing with a nagging injury.