Per GM Peter Chiarelli, surgery is not considered a likely option for Chara, who sustained a tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Thursday's game against the Islanders, the Bruins' official site reports.

Per GM Peter Chiarelli, surgery is not considered a likely option for Chara, who sustained a tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Thursday's game against the Islanders, the Bruins' official site reports.

Analysis:

While Chiarelli fell short of declaring that surgery has been 100 percent ruled out, at this stage it does not seem a likely outcome for Chara, who the report confirms will be out 4-6 weeks. In the absence of Chara, at Friday's practice, the Bruins' top two defensive pairings appeared to be Dennis Seidenberg/Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug/Adam McQuaid.