Mara ended up feeling the pane

WILMINGTON -- Paul Mara's anticipated rematch with Darcy Tucker never materialized Tuesday, but the Bruins defenseman lost a nontitle bout with a pane of glass.

During the second period of Boston's 4-1 victory in Toronto, Mara got crunched into the end boards by Chad Kilger, dislodging the glass and suffering a leg injury in the process.

Mara didn't skate for the rest of the game, nor did he participate in yesterday's 40-minute practice at Ristuccia Arena. He received treatment in the trainer's room and had departed by the time practice ended.

It's highly unlikely Mara -- the Bruins' best two-way defenseman behind Zdeno Chara -- will play tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Banknorth Garden.

"He's doubtful," said associate coach Marc Habscheid, speaking in behalf of head coach Dave Lewis. "It's a day-to-day thing right now."

Mara earned his teammates' everlasting gratitude -- and may have perked them up as they swept two in Toronto -- when he took on Maple Leafs rabble-rouser Tucker, in defense of Chara and center Marc Savard, on Saturday. Tucker had indicated that retaliation was in order, but there was no approximation of combat Tuesday, when Tucker and Mara rarely were on the ice simultaneously before Mara got hurt.

The Bruins went on to a 3-1 triumph Saturday and have won seven of nine games, in part because of the esprit de corps embodied by Mara.

"It's nice to see us sticking up for one another," said goalie Tim Thomas.

"That was impressive," said Habscheid.

Habscheid, Lewis's stand-in with the media yesterday, is painfully aware of how difficult it will be to compensate for however long Mara is out.

"He logs a lot of quality minutes, plays the power play, the penalty kill," said Habscheid.

So, how do you replace that? "In the beginning," said Habscheid, "you want to filter things out. The guys sort of sort themselves out with their level of play."

Situations, added Habscheid, also will dictate who plays when and if Mara can't go.

After waiving Nathan Dempsey Monday, and reassigning him to the American Hockey League after he went unclaimed Tuesday, the Bruins are carrying only six defensemen. Without Mara, they'd dip into Providence for a body. That likely would be Dempsey, provided he clears reentry waivers.

Phil Kessel's ice time was reduced drastically Tuesday because of defensive deficiencies. While stopping short of calling it a benching, Habscheid said, "It's something every young guy goes through. He has to understand you have to make the right decisions [defensively]. There's no gray area. If he makes the right decision, he plays more. If he doesn't, his ice time goes down." . . . Mara isn't the only ailing defenseman, but Brad Stuart (foot, finger) and Jason York (leg) both should be available tonight. Stuart skipped practice as a precautionary measure. York, who missed Toronto II after "tweaking" his leg Saturday, exceeded expectations yesterday by practicing with his teammates. "I was just supposed to skate by myself," he said. "But Paulie's injured, and I wanted to see how it was." How was it? "We'll evaluate it [today]," said York. The soreness is in York's left leg, so it's obviously unrelated to the right knee injury that required surgery less than three weeks ago . . . Left wing P.J. Axelsson, sidelined Tuesday by what were described as flulike symptoms, skated with the club and reported he's a go for tonight. Axelsson was still sporting a walking cast on his troublesome left foot . . . Center Nate Thompson, recalled from Providence to fill Axelsson's roster spot Tuesday, returned to the AHL yesterday.

Habscheid wouldn't commit to a goaltender for tonight, but Thomas expects the call again . . . No. 3 goalie (at least temporarily) Brian Finley tested his injured groin before practice and said it's improving daily. But there's no timetable for his return -- or his probable return to Providence, now that Hannu Toivonen has been recalled . . . York, 36, is constantly kidded about his age, and Habscheid couldn't resist even while praising the veteran. "He makes good first passes and stays out of trouble," said Habscheid. "It's probably because he's 75 years old. You've got to have experience, and he has that."

Lewis just finished "Patriot Reign," but there's one page he didn't take from Bill Belichick's book. Unlike the Patriots' control freak, Lewis will have his aides, Habscheid and assistant coach Doug Houda, occasionally serve as his proxies with the media to get them accustomed to the ordeal in hopes of advancing their careers. "He's hiding," Habscheid deadpanned. "We've locked him away."

Bob Duffy can be reached at Duffy@globe.com.