The Boston Bruins had a couple of key players back practicing today. And one of them sounds like he should be ready to play Thursday versus Chicago.
That one would be defenseman Zdeno Chara, who hasn’t played since hurting his knee on Oct. 23.
The other is center David Krejci, who hasn’t played since Nov. 18 due to a hip ailment.
From CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty:
Claude Julien indicated that he's "optimistic" about Zdeno Chara playing Thurs vs Chicago: "That's our captain we're talking about here"
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) December 9, 2014
Claude less sure about Krejci returning Thursday. He hasn't been cleared to play. Paille, Soderberg out w/a virus. Gagne on personal leave
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) December 9, 2014
The Bruins have been struggling of late, with just two wins in their last seven. But if Chara returns Thursday, they’ll have gone a reasonable 11-7-1 without their most important player in the lineup.
Based on practice, defense will look like this vs. Chicago:
— Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) December 9, 2014
Chara-Hamilton
Seidenberg-Miller
Krug-Trotman