Chara out vs. Capitals for follow-up on jaw injury suffered in Stanley Cup Final
Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will miss Monday's marquee matchup versus the Washington Capitals to undergo a scheduled follow-up procedure stemming from the jaw injury he suffered in last season's Stanley Cup Final, the team announced Sunday.
Chara was injured after taking a puck to the face in Game 4 versus the St. Louis Blues in June. He wore a jaw protector for Games 5-7 and had plates, wires, and screws put in his mouth in order to play.
"The area where the surgery was done got infected, which is kind of rare, but it does happen after six months," Chara said. "The decision was made to avoid maybe further troubleshooting with that area to basically remove all the plates and screws and clean it up. Pretty much the same (procedure), just instead of putting the plates in, it's gonna be taking the plates out."
The 42-year-old added he only expects to miss one game. The Bruins are off for the Christmas break after Monday's contest against the Metropolitan Division leaders and return to action Dec. 27 versus the Buffalo Sabres.
Chara has registered 13 points in 37 contests in 2019-20 while averaging over 21 minutes per contest in his 22nd NHL season.