SAN JOSE, Calif. — Zdeno Chara broke the NHL record for games by a defenseman Thursday night.

The seven-time All-Star was on the ice for the New York Islanders for the opening faceoff against San Jose for his 1,652nd regular-season game. He broke the mark set by Hall of Famer Chris Chelios.

“I would like to start by thanking Chris Chelios,” Chara said after New York’s 4-3 shootout loss. “He set such a high standard for many of us. It’s been very inspiring and a huge motivation. I want to thank him for that. … I’m very lucky that I get to still play this game.”

Chara won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2008-09 as part of a 14-year career with the Boston Bruins. Two seasons later, he served as captain of a Bruins team that won the Stanley Cup. He also spent time with Ottawa and the Washington Capitals during his 24-year career.

Chara received a standing ovation from the SAP Center crowd and waved in acknowledgement when his feat was announced during a stoppage of play. The Sharks also played a videotaped message of congratulations from former San Jose forward Patrick Marleau, who holds the NHL record for games by any player.

The Slovak star, the tallest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9, is in the twilight of a decorated career that began in 1997 when he was just 20. He’s now three weeks shy of his 45th birthday, and he signed a one-year deal with the Islanders before this season to reunite with the team he began his career with.

Chara even challenged the Sharks’ Jeffrey Viel to a fight in the second period as they exchanged punches and fell to the ice.

“He got involved with someone who was acting up a little bit,” Islanders Coach Barry Trotz said. “He fought, and our bench got some energy from that.”

STADIUM SERIES: The Nashville Predators are hosting the reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium, home to the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, as part of the NHL’s Stadium Series. This is the second outdoor game for the Predators, who played in the 2020 Winter Classic in Dallas, and the first for the Lightning.

Organizers have had to battle with heavy rain to prepare the ice rink on the field. Approximately 2 1/2 inches fell at the stadium Tuesday alone; more rain Thursday into early Friday led to spot flooding around Nashville.

Light rain is a possibility Saturday night, though Predators center Ryan Johansen called the ice fantastic after Friday’s practice.

“Considering the weather we’ve had here this week with the rain, it was pretty impressive,” Johansen said.

PENGUINS: Pittsburgh defenseman Mike Matheson is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury sustained in a loss to New Jersey on Thursday.

Matheson, who has seven goals and 14 assists in 50 games this season for the Penguins, was part of Pittsburgh’s third defensive pairing alongside Chad Ruhwedel.

FRIDAY GAMES

HURRICANES 4, BLUE JACKETS 0: Jordan Staal got Carolina on the board with a second-period goal, then the Hurricanes broke it open with two quick third-period goals to beat visiting Columbus.

The Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes finished with a season-high 50 shots, leaving netminder Frederik Andersen with a relatively quiet night in earning his third shutout this season on 19 saves.