Chara skated for approximately 35 minutes. Under the supervision of assistant coach Doug Jarvis, Chara and Jordan Caron skated and went through light drills while the rest of the players had the morning off. Chara started the session with gentle loops around the faceoff circles. Toward the conclusion of the skate, Chara executed drills, including D-to-D breakouts with Jarvis and shots on goal with Caron sniffing for tips.
Chara sat out his second straight game last night. He will most likely practice with the team tomorrow. Depending on his rate of recovery, Chara might be available for Saturday’s matinee against Philadelphia, although next Monday against Montreal is a more likely date for his return.
“It was a situation where we just gave him a few days to let it calm down a little bit, then he’d start skating,’’ coach Claude Julien said. “He’s been biking a lot since that day, too. We’ve talked about it not being as serious as first anticipated. Right now, it’s going in the right direction.’’
Even if his knee is ready for game action, Chara could use the extra practices to regain his touch and timing. Chara usually participates in optional skates to keep his game sharp.
With Chara unavailable, Andrew Ference assumed the bulk of the workload. Ference led all players with 27:33 of ice time, a season-high for the depth defenseman. Ference recorded two assists while landing three shots and connecting with two hits.
Campbell still on shelf
Gregory Campbell missed his second straight game because of a fractured foot he suffered against Columbus. He remained in Boston and has yet to skate since Saturday.
“We left him at home because we hope he’s going to be able to skate,’’ Julien said. “The fracture that he has, it’s day-to-day because he could be on the ice tomorrow. He could be on the ice two days from now. It’s a real hard fracture to determine as far as the length of his absence.’’
Zach Hamill skated in Campbell’s spot on the fourth line between Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton.
McQuaid ejected
