The Bruins hope to have one of their best assets back on the ice for their last series of the postseason.
Boston was able to complete its sweep of Carolina in the Eastern Conference final on Thursday without defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara in the lineup, but the team is optimistic he'll be able to return from an undisclosed injury for the Stanley Cup Final.
"We have a lot of time to make the absolute right decision to give him the proper time to get over something that's been nagging him," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Saturday, via the Associated Press. "And we'll cross our fingers that will be the case. But we're confident it will be."
Sweeney, however, couldn't guarantee Chara's availability.
"I'm not living in how or where Zee feels. I expect he'll be fine," Sweeney said. "But I'm not going to sit here and make a proclamation in terms of promises. I do believe that time will be used effectively and he'll be fine. But sometimes those are out of your control."
Chara went to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury when blocking a shot off the stick of Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho in Game 1 of the series last Thursday. The shot hit the outside of his right foot and he was clearly in pain on the bench.
The Stanley Cup Final is slated to begin May 27, with the Bruins set to face the Sharks or Blues once the Western Conference finals end.
San Jose and St. Louis are tied 2-2 entering Sunday's Game 5 matchup.