Bruins F Pavel Zacha (upper body) won't play for Czech team
Dec 27, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) waits for the face-off during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images An ailing Pavel Zacha, still sidelined with an upper-body injury, will not play for Team Czechia in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Zacha, who plays for the Boston Bruins, is being replaced by fellow forward Filip Chlapik, who plays with Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga.
Team Czechia opens play in the Olympic hockey tournament on Thursday against Team Canada.
Zacha, 28, has not played since Jan. 29, when he was injured in a win against the Philadelphia Flyers. On the season, he has 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 54 games.
Chlapik was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. From 2017-21, he appeared in 57 games with the Senators, totaling five goals and six assists for 11 points.
The 28-year-old has spent the past three seasons with Sparta Praha. He has recorded 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 45 games this season.
--Field Level Media
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