Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a contract that

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a contract that will take him through his 42nd birthday Chris Wideman Jersey , and he’s already anticipating the next one.”I believe, myself, that I’m going to be playing beyond this contract,” he said on Wednesday after agreeing to a one-year deal that will pay him at least $5 million.”No matter how long you want to continue to play, you have to perform. You have to back up your status,” he said. ”So I know I need to go out there every night and do my job, perform and play hard and work hard and be a great example for my teammates. (The) rest of it, it will fall into place.”A five-time All-Star who was the league’s best defenseman in 2009, Chara turned 41 this month but still leads the Bruins in time on ice with an average of 23 minutes per game. He has seven goals and 16 assists this season, his 20th in the NHL, and is the franchise’s third-leading scorer for a defenseman, behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr.”He’s been a dominant player this year Womens Craig Anderson Jersey ,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. ”He takes all of the hard matchups still, doesn’t shy away from any situations and has embraced the role that he’s kind of emerged into. … He’s indicated that he wants to perform at a high, high level, he expects to perform at a high level, and he’s backed that up.”Chara was in the final year of a seven-year, $45 million contract that reportedly paid him $4 million this year. His new deal guarantees him $5 million but also has incentives that could pay him $1.75 million more.”I will not be surprised if we’re sitting here (again),” Sweeney said, ”because he’s indicated he wants to continue to play.”Sweeney conceded that Chara had leverage if he went to the free agent market. But the 6-foot-9 Bruins captain said he wanted to stay in Boston and help develop young players such as Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk and Anders Bjork.”I believe in this team,” Chara said. ”It’s very exciting to be a part of this team. I think this team has a chance, and that’s all you can ask for. The rest of it is up to us to do on the ice. So, yeah Authentic Erik Karlsson Jersey Kids , that was my priority, to stay in Boston, to be a Boston Bruin.”Sweeney said Chara’s influence isn’t just on the younger players.”It really is a ripple effect through our whole hockey club,” the GM said. ”Every player realizes the bar is set so high with a player that has accomplished as much as he has, yet he shows up every day. … At times, when we’re trying to get him off the ice, he wants to be on it more. So, I think the example for excellence starts with Zdeno.”Chara played in the Bruins’ first 68 games this season before an unspecified injury that has sidelined him since March 13. Boston has also played without Patrice Bergeron, David Backes, Rick Nash, Torey Krug, McAvoy and DeBrusk this month Jean-Gabriel Pageau Jersey , but is just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday night’s matchup.”I’m so proud of the team, and what the guys have been able to do with so many guys being out of the lineup,” Chara said. ”Just a great indication that this team has a never-give-up attitude and willing to fight till the last whistle.”— TAMPA, Fla. (AP) On a Florida road trip against two streaking teams, the Ottawa Senators have been no pushovers at all.Mike Hoffman scored two goals and six other Ottawa players had multipoint games as the Senators beat Tampa Bay 7-4 on Tuesday night, ending the Lightning’s 10-game run without a regulation loss.One night earlier, the struggling Senators (25-33-11) halted an eight-game home winning streak for the Florida Panthers.”It’s something positive that we can look at in a season that really hasn’t gone the way we expected,” said Hoffman, who reached the 20-goal mark for the fifth consecutive season. ”These two games show that no one in this room has quit. It’s probably the toughest two teams you can play back-to-back in the entire league as of right now. We want to finish on the strong side.”Tom Pyatt, Erik Karlsson, Ryan Dzingel and Marian Gaborik each had a goal and an assist for the Senators. Magnus Paajarvi also scored, and Mike Condon finished with 42 saves for his first victory since Feb. 1 http://www.senatorsshoponline.com/authentic-mark-stone-jersey , ending a seven-game winless stretch.”It’s been a while, personally,” Condon said. ”It’s a good feeling that I have missed.”Tampa Bay, tied with Nashville atop the NHL standings at 100 points, hadn’t lost in regulation since Feb. 17. But the Lightning’s lead over Boston in the Atlantic Division was trimmed to four points after the Bruins rallied past Carolina.The defeat also spoiled the first career hat trick for J.T. Miller, who has five goals in seven games for Tampa Bay since being acquired from the New York Rangers at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos each had three assists.The Lightning, however, allowed seven goals in a game for the first time since Jan. 12, 2015, at Philadelphia.”Turnovers. Bad tracks. Inability to block shots. Inability to kill a penalty,” coach Jon Cooper said. ”Add them all up. Probably a little bit of bad bounces I guess, but maybe that drops it by one or two. Still score four and lose by three … that’s a tough night at home.”Tampa Bay opened the scoring 4:19 into the game but Ottawa scored three times in the first period and never looked back Youth Matt Duchene Jersey , allowing the Lightning to get within a goal just once the rest of the way.”Playing a team coming in on a back-to-back and giving up seven goals … it’s unacceptable,” Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman said. ”It’s hard to win games giving up that many goals.”NOTES: Tampa Bay activated G Peter Budaj off injured reserve. Budaj saw his first action since Dec. 27, entering in relief of Andrei Vasilevskiy for the third period. … Lightning G Louis Domingue was reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. … Ottawa RW Alex Burrows appeared in his 900th NHL game. … Senators D Erik Burgdoerfer got his first NHL point. … Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman got his 100th career power-play point. … Kucherov became the fifth player in franchise history to reach 90 points in a season, joining Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Stamkos and Brad Richards.UP NEXTLightning: Host the Boston Bruins on Saturday.Senators: Host the Dallas Stars on Friday.—