BRIGHTON — Though they’ll have to play without him for at least one more game, a big presence is inching closer to returning.

For the first time since suffering a lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues nine days ago, Zdeno Chara skated with his fellow Bruins teammates this morning at Warrior Ice Arena as they prepare to open their December slate with the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at TD Garden. Chara is still day to day and will miss his fifth straight game tonight as the Black and Gold look to build off Tuesday’s performance against the Flyers where they dominated play despite a 3-2 shootout loss.

The mere appearance of Chara and Noel Acciari, who skated for the first time since suffering a lower injury in the Bruins’ 4-0 win over the Sabres back on November 7, is a welcoming sign for the team as they inch closer to returning.

“Anytime you see guys return from injuries and they’re skating with the team you know it means that they’re getting close,” defenseman Torey Krug said about Chara and Acciari returning to the ice. “When you see them on the ice, guys get a morale boost and emotionally you’re excited for those guys and you know that they’re working hard to work their way back into the lineup. So, it’s definitely exciting to see.”

Life without Chara has been difficult to overcome for the Bruins at times, but not all has been lost. In the first four games without their 6-9 captain, the Bruins are 1-2-1 and have allowed eight goals during that stretch.

The Bruins’ last two games against the Lightning and Flyers, in particular, were an encouraging step for the defense. Against Tampa, the Bruins skated with five defensemen after John-Michael Liles’ nasty collision with the boards early in the first period, but the shorthanded blue-line kept the high-octane Lighting in check. Two nights later in Philadelphia, the Bruins allowed just 21 shots on goal against the second highest scoring team in the league.

“We’ve hung in there, no doubt” head coach Claude Julien said about the team’s performance without Chara. “We only gave up two goals last game – two early goals, one on the power play and one at even strength – and for the rest of the game we shut them out. Good goaltending [from Tuukka Rask] helps, but at the same time we really minimized the scoring teams’ opportunities that night.

“I think right there I credit the team not just on the back end but doing it by committee. Those guys on the back end are part of that committee that are doing a decent job.”

The committee will travel a short ways from Guest Street to Causeway Street and reunite in a matter of a few hours. They hope to adjourn with another W and move on to their next duty with a bigger presence on their side.