Zdeno Chara had seven goals in 80 games this season—and the 6-9 defenseman has never been much of a scorer. But the Boston Bruins' captain couldn't have picked a better time to break character and score two in a single game to help Boston beat Buffalo 5-3 and tie the series 1-1. Chara spoke to Sporting News correspondent Tim O'Shei and other reporters before heading back to Boston for Games 3 and 4.
Question: You've never been much of a true goal scorer. How refreshing is it to get two goals in a game?
Zdeno Chara: It's always nice to get a win. It's nice to even the series and be heading back home.
Q: Any gratification personally?
ZC: No, right now it's all about the team and that we tied the series 1-1.
Q: The top players on teams always seem to lift their game when when it's needed the most. Sidney Crosby did it for Pittsburgh last night and you did it today. Do you feel that's something you need to do?
ZC: That's the responsibility of being a leader. You have to step up, you have to lead the way. That's just the nature of the business. This time of the year you really have to put everything into every single shift, every game, and try to lead the way. It's not just one guy. The key guys have to really step up and go after it.
Q: How satisfying was the effort in the third period?
A: Once we tied the game, then got the lead, you could sense the energy on the bench. The enthusiasm was really high. We tried to play well defensively and make strong plays. Once they pulled the goalie, you just have to keep it really simple and get it out of the zone. That's how we scored that last goal.
Q: You've been in the league a long time and always seem to play that "bad guy" or "villain" role. Do you play off that a little bit in this situation?
ZC: That's part of hockey. It's battles. This time of year, everybody is battling, everybody is playing physical. You have to step up and do that job. That's just normal.
Source: Sporting News Today
More at: Bruins D Zdeno Chara: Playing the villain is part of hockey
