Bruins captain Chara skates again, feeling better

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara skated Thursday prior to the start of practice, the fourth straight day he's been on the ice for conditioning and drills.

The veteran defenseman has been day-to-day because of an upper-body injury sustained during a preseason game against the New York Rangers on Sept. 24.

"Today was better than it was yesterday," Chara said Thursday in comments tweeted by the Bruins. "I'm hoping that tomorrow is better than today. If it keeps improving, we'll see where it's going to be next week. As of right now, trying to obviously skate on my own and be in a situation where I can jump in with the team."

The Bruins play their final preseason game Friday against the Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET, NHLN). They open the regular season Oct. 8 against the Winnipeg Jets.

Chara, 38, had eight goals and 20 points in 63 games last season. He missed seven weeks with a torn ligament in his left knee.