He's happy to chip in

Krejci delays dental work to cap off Saturday's victory

David Krejci, one of three Bruins who failed to connect in the shootout, refuses to watch Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers celebrate. (Ed Betz/Associated Press)

NEW YORK - David Krejci, the rookie Bruins center who set up both goals in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Washington, needed more than a few stitches after getting high-sticked in the mouth by the Capitals' Donald Brashear.

Brashear's stick also chipped Krejci's two front teeth, and one of the dental fragments lodged in Krejci's lower lip. But rather than get fully repaired after the blow, Krejci settled for a temporary repair in the dressing room and quickly returned - with the chipped tooth still lodged in his lip -to play the rest of the period.

"I was in the doctor's office," Krejci said yesterday, following the Bruins' 1-0 shootout loss to the Rangers. "And they call and say we have five on three . . . so I have to go out and play, right?"

Krejci promptly set up Zdeno Chara's tying goal, and later made a soft-touch cross-crease dish toward the right post that Marco Sturm belted home for the winner.

Postgame on Saturday, unable to address the media, Krejci had the fragment removed from his lip and then was sutured before the club boarded the early-evening charter flight out of Bedford.

Upon returning home after Tuesday night's game in Ottawa, he'll head back to the dentist's office. He was fitted with a temporary cap Saturday to prevent, as he said, "air from hurting when I breathe." Exposed nerves hurt even more than a Brashear stick to the mouth.

Captain crunched

As reported here yesterday, Chara did not make the trip to Manhattan.

According to coach Claude Julien, Chara also might have to sit out tomorrow night against the Senators.

"He'll be out a short time," said Julien, who did not identify the nature of Chara's injury. "It's minor . . . he's out [here] and possibly in Ottawa, too."

Chara appeared to hurt a shoulder in the second period of Saturday's Garden matinee, but he returned to play effectively in the third period. Later Saturday, there were Canadian media accounts that had Chara sidelined for the season with a separated shoulder - reports that were off base, according to Chara's agent, Matt Keator.

According to Julien, 'Big Z' underwent X-rays and an MRI Saturday, and the club held out hope that he might fly here yesterday morning and be able to suit up against the Blueshirts (9-0-3 in their last 12 games). But the banged-and-bruised Chara knew by early Saturday night that he would not be able to play.

Injury Ward

Aaron Ward, who exited the lineup last Monday in Washington with a deep contusion of the right foot, skated here in the morning, but he was unable to pull on a sweater. He has missed four games in a row since sustaining the contusion. "He was hoping to play, but it's not the case," said Julien. "We hope he's able to play in Ottawa." . . . Alex Auld, the winner in net Saturday, was Boston's keeper yesterday, too, stopping 35 shots in 65 minutes. He'll likely get the call again tomorrow night. "He's played well for us," said Julien. "It's an opportunity for him to keep it going." No. 1 Tim Thomas was the victim of back-to-back shellackings last week, 10-2 at Washington, and 8-2 at home vs. the Maple Leafs. "Tim needs a bit of a rest," noted Julien. "He's tired, physically and mentally. He's a good goalie when he's fresh, and we have to give him a chance to rest."

Kid's stuff

Rookie defenseman Matt Lashoff, recalled from Providence (AHL) immediately after Saturday's win, took Chara's spot in the lineup. The rookie finished with 17 shifts and 11:51 of ice time. "He made some good plays under pressure," said Julien. Lashoff also got clobbered in the neck with the puck while sitting on the bench, Christian Backman sending a puck over the boards with four minutes gone in the third period . . . The Bruins gave away only two pucks all day, both in the third period - one by Dennis Wideman and the other by Andrew Ference . . . Wideman led all skaters with a robust 34:34 in ice time. Ference wasn't far behind (29:41) . . . The Bruins lost nearly two of every three faceoffs, 18 for 52 (35 percent). Glen Metropolit and Krejci went a combined 6 for 25. On the other side, Blair Betts and Scott Gomez were a blistering 19 for 24 at the dot . . . The Bruins experienced a particularly tough landing in Newark Saturday night, their charter flight tossed around in the wind upon descent. "Scariest moment of my life," said bostonbruins.com scribe John Bishop. No injuries were recorded in the toss-a-thon, other than upset stomachs and frayed nerves.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.