Bruins' Zdeno Chara lands cheap shot on unsuspecting John Tavares

Tuesday night’s Game 7 clash between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs was the 13th Game 7 of Zdeno Chara’s legendary career — tying Scott Stevens and Patrick Roy for the NHL record.

Through the experiences he’s gained in those high-pressure situations, the 42-year-old tower of a blueliner has figured out how to keep the intensity high while playing within the looser interpretation of the rules by officials during the postseason.

At the end of the second period and with his Bruins up 2-1, he may have crossed the line during a scuffle that broke out between the two sides after the horn sounded.

Take the caption for the video with a grain of salt due to the username of the Twitter account that uploaded the clip; however, Chara clearly punched John Tavares in the head. There’s no denying that.

The Leafs star dropped to the ice in the arms of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron after taking the shot and stayed there for a few moments.

Chara wasn’t penalized on the play.

Tavares was able to return for the start of the period, but didn’t provide Toronto with the spark that they needed in the crucial contest. However, earlier in the contest, Tavares scored Toronto’s lone goal of the game.

The Bruins went on to win 5-1 to take the first round best-of-seven series 4-3 for the third time in the last seven years.

With the sting of the loss still fresh after the final buzzer, Tavares didn’t have too much to say about the incident.

I guess a solid whack to the noggin doesn’t hurt nearly as much as the figurative punch to the gut of a season-ending defeat.

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