‘I wish the hits would stop coming:’ Bruins’ McAvoy on repeated facial injuries
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is having one tough year when it comes to injuries to his head and face area.
The top-pairing right-shot defender missed nearly a month earlier this year with a broken jaw after taking a puck to the face in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Scary moment as Charlie McAvoy takes a slap shot to the face. Hoping he is okay 🙏
That jaw injury appeared aggravated when he took a high hit from Florida Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis during a game in early February.
Then, on March 5, a puck deflected up into his face again, leaving him stung and down on the ice for a bit.
On Tuesday night, with the Bruins hosting the Los Angeles Kings in the middle of a tight playoff race, McAvoy sustained another blow that left his mouth bloodied and knocked out multiple teeth.
“You know, I wish the hits would stop coming, honestly” McAvoy told reporters, including WEEI’s Bridgette Proulx after the game. “Just… it’s tiring. My mouth honestly can’t even feel worse, but I’ll get some work. We’ve got a really good dentist here who’s great. I’m just really happy we got two points tonight… I just need to get some rest, and I’ll be better on Thursday.
McAvoy told reporters before the scrum that he had time for two questions before he had to go get more dental work done.
CHARLIE MCAVOY CALLS GAME
Even if he’s spent a lot of time in the dentist’s chair, McAvoy is still having a season to remember. He was a key cog on Team USA’s blue line as the Americans captured their first Olympic gold medal since 1980.
With the Bruins, he’s producing offense at his highest clip in years, as his 46 points in 52 games have helped Boston stand out as one of the surprising playoff teams as we enter the stretch run.
The Long Island native’s heroics on Tuesday allowed Boston to maintain its two-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. At 36-22-6, the Bruins have little margin for error, as the Jackets have picked up points in 9 of their last 10 outings.