Zdeno Chara likely to play for Bruins vs. Panthers

BOSTON --Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara likely will return to the lineup against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Monday (7 p.m. ET, NHLN, SN, TVA Sports, NESN, FS-F, NHL.TV).
Coach Claude Julien called it "more than likely probable" that Chara, the Bruins captain, will play for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury in the second period against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 22. He's missed the past six games.

"I felt good," Chara said after practicing with the Bruins at Warrior Ice Arena. "Any time you're coming back to the team it's a good feeling, it's an exciting feeling. Obviously it's probable for tonight."
The Bruins went 3-2-1 with Chara out of the lineup and allowed 10 goals. And in addition to Chara they were without John-Michael Liles the past three games because of a concussion.
"Just the way we've played it as a group I think it's been pretty consistent," Julien said. "Not just last game but the last few weeks or so. We've really done a good job of minimizing goals-against. ... It's a good thing because we're not scoring a ton so we've got to make sure we're good defensively."

The Bruins scored 11 goals in the six games Chara missed. Chara said he was impressed by his teammates' determination in tight games.
"The team battled hard," he said. "They did everything they could to win as many points as possible and keeping the opposition to as low as they did scoring-wise. It was very impressive and it's a battle every game. You're not always going to get the pretty game, but at the end of the night or at the end of the season you're always looking at the points. And as long as we're getting points that's the most important thing."
Chara has one goal, five assists and a plus-12 rating in 19 games.
Defenseman Torey Krug missed the morning skate because of illness but is expected to play. Forward Matt Beleskey also didn't skate. He sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of a 2-1 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and was scheduled to be re-evaluated Monday.