Bruins Lose Captain Chara For 4-6 Weeks With Knee Injury

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara tore a ligament in his knee and will miss four to six weeks.

General manager Peter Chiarelli said the 2009 Norris Trophy winner will not need surgery on the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Chiarelli said it was good news in that other ligaments in the knee would require a longer recovery.

Chara left Thursday night's game against the Islanders in the first period, one shift after a collision with New York forward John Tavares. He did not appear injured at the time, but his teammates knew it was serious when the 6-foot-9 defenseman left the bench.

The Bruins lost 3-2 to fall below .500 for the season and into a four-way tie for fifth place in the NHL's Eastern Conference.