After being taken to a Boston hospital earlier today for dehydration, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara did warm up during the pregame skate with the rest of the team making it look like he’d play tonight.
As it turns out, Chara is a late scratch for tonight’s Game 2 against Montreal. Taking Chara’s spot in the lineup will be Shane Hnidy. The Bruins will need big play out of Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg, and Tomas Kaberle to make up for Chara’s absence in the lineup.
While Hnidy will bring the physical game, all six defensemen will need to be especially sharp defensively as Chara’s presence on the ice is virtually impossible to replace. No other player on the team is as big or as intimidating as Chara. Expect Seidenberg to pick up the slack defensively in minutes played as he’s primarily a shot blocker and all-around solid defender.
If Chara’s absence leads to another loss and the Bruins heading to Montreal in a 2-0 hole, the desperation in Beantown will reach a hysterical level.