Chara to be re-evaluated in Boston, Game 5 status unclear

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will be re-evaluated when the club returns home before his status for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final is revealed, head coach Bruce Cassidy said postgame.

"I don't know his status for Game 5," Cassidy said, according to Tara Sullivan of The Boston Globe. "He'll have to be re-evaluated at home. I can't say whether he'll play ... The conversation (Monday) was short.

"He was getting work done, we were going on the ice, the trainers come to me and said, 'Done for the night.' The question was asked that he'd like to sit with his teammates. I'm like, 'If medically he's able to do that, then that's fine.'"

Chara took a puck off his face early in the second period of Game 4 on Monday night. Brayden Schenn's shot deflected off his stick and upward, drawing blood from the towering defenseman and sending him to the ice.

The veteran returned to the bench in the third period while wearing full facial protection, but he didn't play another shift as the Blues went on to win the contest 4-2.

If Big Z is unavailable going forward, that presents a major issue for the Bruins' back end, as Matt Grzelcyk is already sidelined. Chara has notched five points this postseason while averaging just under 22 minutes per night on Boston's top pairing.

Game 5 goes Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET from TD Garden.