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Zdeno Chara fight can't spark Bruins over Ducks (Video)

ANAHEIM, Calif – Zdeno Chara’s found himself with his fists raised ready to strike Friday night at Honda Center.

Boston’s 6-foot-9 captain decided to drop his gloves against Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner in the Bruins’ 4-0 loss after a scrum in front of the Boston net. The scrap lasted a few seconds and Stoner got a grip on Chara and figured out a way to tackle the hulking defenseman.

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The Bruins were down 3-0 in the third period at the time, and Chara said he was just trying to ignite his team any way possible.

“A different occasion can lead to the fights but at that point I wanted to spark the team and for the last push,” Chara said. “At that point being down three goals anything can still happen, but it was just a little bit interactions over there and sometimes that’s part of the game.”

Chara’s size and strength make most recent fights with him noteworthy. He used to fight more but hasn't mixed it up in a few years.

According to hockeyfights.com Friday’s game included Chara’s first fighting major since Jan. 4, 2014, when he took on Chris Thorburn of the Winnipeg Jets. 

Still, he's been involved in other altercations.

On Dec. 29, Chara threw Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki to the ice in a physical win. Chara also dropped Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette last season with one punch.

“He’s our captain and he’s such a good leader, he knows when it’s time to step up like that,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. “He’s never had a problem with doing that. That’s how he came in the league early on, so it just shows he’s willing to lay his body on the line for the team and step up and that’s why he’s such a great leader.”

How do Bruins players look at Chara’s opponents in fights? They see them as players trying to do their job, even though it takes some courage to fight Chara, who turned 39 on Friday.

“Obviously he’s a big, strong guy and faced a big, strong guy today too but I don’t think there’s a lot of guys that can beat him so we feel good having him back there,” goaltender Jonas Gustavsson said.

Friday’s loss to the Ducks was near the start of a tough stretch for the Bruins where they play eight of nine games on the road. It was Boston’s second defeat in a row, their first loss coming Tuesday at the San Jose Sharks.

With 86 points the Bruins are cemented in the playoffs, but after losing to the Ducks there’s some urgency to leave California with points. Late last season they dropped out of the playoffs to the surging Ottawa Senators and they don’t want any kind of repeat this year.

“We didn’t come in here to go home empty handed so we have to find a way to get some points here,” coach Claude Julien said. “We let some slip in San Jose and tonight, a 4-0 game, it’s a little tough to say we let them slip away but we played well enough that we should have had a chance tonight.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!