BOSTON — Zdeno Chara has become the face, if not the voice, of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But if he steps on the ice for Thursday night’s pivotal Game 5 with a broken jaw, he will earn a near-mythical status in Stanley Cup lore among the toughest ever to play the game.

Chara is unable to speak, at least publicly, after taking a puck in the face in Game 4.

Chara and Matt Grzelcyk both participated in the Bruins’ optional morning skate on Thursday.
 
Coach Bruce Cassidy said the two defenceman are officially “game-time decisions” and noted that if they’re skating, “that means they’re getting closer.”

“He’s an incredibly tough man,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said of Chara. “He’s willing to play through anything.”

Chara didn’t address the cameras, but he was willing to answer a couple questions from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association via text.

How does he weigh the risk of further facial damage by playing?

“You don’t think about that,” Chara wrote. “You think about playing. You don’t go into a game thinking you might get hurt.”

It was maybe the most ‘hockey player’ answer of all-time.

When asked if the Blues might target Chara’s jaw, Bruins teammate Jake DeBrusk compared the hulking 6-foot-9 blueliner to fictional supervillain Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying he’ll “have the infinity stones out” to ward them off.

Blues coach Craig Berube said they wouldn’t change their approach if Chara is in or out. There would be no special emphasis to ground and pound the Bruins’ defence with their forecheck.

“That’s just our game,” Berube said.
 
Chara didn’t seem to have an issue handling the puck while wearing a full face shield Thursday morning. He was trying different facial protection options designed to protect his jaw after the skate.

Cassidy said Chara was “never ruled out.”
 
“The doctor has to give him the green light, then it’s his call,” Cassidy said. “If he doesn’t, then [Chara] has no say in the matter.”
 
Former New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan was the last player to skate in the final with a broken jaw, back in 2014.
 
A Brayden Schenn shot rolled up Chara’s stick and hit him in the mouth in the second period of Monday’s Game 4 in St. Louis. Chara returned to the bench for the third period to sit with his teammates but wasn’t cleared to play.
 
“The first thing you worry about is a concussion, because then you’re in the protocol,” Cassidy said. “He avoided that.”

Grzelcyk missed both Games 3 and 4 in St. Louis with a concussion. He was boarded by Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2 on a hit that warranted a one-game suspension from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
 
With both Grzelcyk and Chara playing hurt, Cassidy said the Bruins may opt to go with seven defencemen in the lineup. That would mean John Moore would remain in for Game 5, while David Backes could be the odd forward out as a result. Cassidy is unlikely to tinker with his fourth line, which has been so strong in these Stanley Cup playoffs.
 
In that case, expect winger David Pastrnak to see extra time double shifting with the Bruins short a forward.
 
“Plenty of guys deserve extra minutes,” Cassidy said. “It gets taxing if we get into [overtime], but we can’t worry about that.”

Contact Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalli