Pominville, 36, was a healthy

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara signed a contract that will take him through his 42nd birthday http://www.officialflyersproshop.com/authentic-adidas-shayne-gostisbehere-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,” 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) Travis Konecny Jersey ,” 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, 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 Adam Cracknell Jersey Womens , 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.”— DALLAS (AP) — Ben Bishop was so solid in net it didn’t matter that the Dallas Stars were held under two goals for the fifth time in six games.Jamie Benn scored in the first period and Bishop stopped 30 shots to help Dallas beat the Buffalo Sabres 1-0 on Wednesday night.“As the game progressed, I thought (Bishop) got better and better,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “In the third, he was our best player and he had to be and he really broke pucks out really well.”Bishop made 13 saves in the final period, earning his third shutout this season and the 27th of his career. He is 11-0-1 against Buffalo.“I’ve got to keep it going. I don’t want to talk about it,” Bishop said with a laugh. “So far, so good, and knock on wood. I don’t know what it is about them.”Benn scored 8:39 in off a pass from ex-Sabre Taylor Fedun. Benn stickhandled to the front of the net, put the puck on his forehand and sent a wrist shot inside the right post.“There was kind of a slow-moving puck out of the zone,” Fedun said, “and I was able to grab it before it hit the blue line, and then (Benn) was able to beat his guy back to the net. When you see a guy like Jamie Benn going to the net and he’s all alone, it’s a pretty mindless play to just slide it to him.”Linus Ullmark stopped Dallas’ other 26 shots on goal.“(Benn’s) a terrific player. You saw their goal, kind of a nifty move and puts it five-hole,” he said.Buffalo appeared to score 4:28 into the third when Marco Scandella’s shot from the left point went over Bishop and into the net. The goal was disallowed because a referee ruled Nathan Beaulieu interfered with Bishop.The Sabres challenged the call, but a replay review upheld the decision.“I was just driving the net Wayne Simmonds Jersey ,” Beaulieu said. “On replay, it felt like I got pushed in, but it can go either way. I’m not going to argue. You can’t overturn it now. You’ve just got to live with it.”Sabres coach Phil Housley defended his challenge.“It could’ve gone to either way. I knew the call on the ice was a no goal, but I thought it was a good time to challenge. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way,” he said.Dallas holds the first wild card in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Colorado and Vancouver.Buffalo fell three points behind Columbus for the second wild card in the East. The Sabres have 56 points to 59 for the Blue Jackets, who were knocked out of third place in the Metropolitan Division by Pittsburgh’s win over Tampa Bay.The Sabres were playing on back-to-back nights. Dallas hadn’t played since Jan. 19.“We knew they played last night, but we haven’t played in 10 days, so I don’t know who had the advantage,” Bishop said.Benn nearly scored a second goal in the first minute of the second period, but Ullmark turned away a backhand deflection off Benn’s stick.NOTES: Benn’s team-leading 19th goal was his first in five games. … D Rasmus Dahlin played for the first time in the arena where Buffalo selected him first overall in the 2018 draft. He had scored six goals in his previous seven games. … Sabres RW Jason Pominville, 36, was a healthy scratch for the first time since April 4, 2006. … Buffalo had not been shut out since a season-opening 4-0 loss to Boston. … The Stars have four straight wins over Buffalo. … Dallas improved to 2-3 on a six-game homestand. … Each team committed only one penalty, both in the first period.UP NEXTSabres: Begin a team record-tying seven-game homestand Friday against Chicago.Stars: Complete their longest homestand of the season Friday vs. Minnesota.