It's official: Zdeno Chara will not miss a game after reportedly suffering a broken jaw in Monday's Game 4.
Chara took the ice for warmups before Game 5 with his protective full shield and went through everything like normal, including pairing with usual partner Charlie McAvoy during line rushes. A short time later the Bruins confirmed he is in the lineup.
The Bruins will still be down one regular defenseman, though, as Matt Grzelcyk has still not been cleared from concussion protocol and will miss a third straight game. There had been some hope he would play given that he's skated with the team the last two days and met with the media each day as well, but he just hasn't quite cleared the final hurdle.
Steven Kampfer draws into the lineup as well, giving the Bruins seven defensemen for the game. David Backes is a healthy scratch as the Bruins drop down to 11 forwards for the night. The move gives the Bruins some protection in the event that Chara gets hurt further or is unable to handle his usual workload. Both of the Bruins' losses in this series have come in games where they had to play with five defensemen due to in-game injuries.
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