Zdeno Chara's status uncertain for Game 5 after taking puck to mouth
Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara left Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, was advised not to play throughout the third period and his status is uncertain for Game 5, head coach Bruce Cassidy revealed after the game.
Chara attempted to block a shot from St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn, but the puck ricocheted off his stick and struck him, sending him crashing down to the ice, visibly bleeding.
The veteran defenceman wore a clear cage on his helmet upon returning from the locker room during the third, and though he returned to the bench, Chara didn’t take a single shift during the third period as the Bruins lost 4-2 to the Blues.
Although Chara toughed it out for his teammates on the bench, he might be in danger of missing Game 5.
Brandon Carlo said postgame that Zdeno Chara was bleeding out of his mouth and couldn’t really talk on the bench. And he didn’t play at all after getting hit in face with puck. Sure sounds like a jaw injury of some kind
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 4, 2019
This isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re so inclined, here’s how Chara’s incident happened.
Zdeno Chara takes a deflected shot to the face pic.twitter.com/Lp5lpKm7JY
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 4, 2019
And here’s a close-up of Chara leaving the ice.
Zdeno Chara is leaking blood after taking a puck up high pic.twitter.com/GbtxVKHNjU
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) June 4, 2019
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