Charlie McAvoy returns to Bruins lineup 12 days after heart procedure
It didn’t take McAvoy long to get acclimated Saturday.
Charlie McAvoy, a leading Calder Trophy candidate, returned to action Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs and fit right in after missing the last four games. That setback was the result of an abnormal heart rhythm that was repaired on January 22 with an ablation procedure doctors say is expected to solve the problem for good.
“I knew it was going to be a little rust,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said postgame about the return of his prized rookie defenseman. “Simply because you miss time and then why you missed the time, and then we didn’t have team practices so he could get acclimated to the banging and the confrontation part of it.”
The 20-year-old former BU Terrier and 2016 first-round pick had played 51 consecutive NHL games, dating back to last April’s debut in the playoff series against the Ottawa Senators. Before his return, McAvoy’s 25 points were four behind Torey Krug on the team’s blue line scoring. His impressive plus-18 was third, behind Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara.
It didn’t take McAvoy long to get acclimated Saturday.
“You want to see where you’re at physically, and mentally when you don’t play in a couple games,” McAvoy said postgame. “You miss out and you want to come back and get back into it and the game speed, and decision making.”
Paired with Chara — playing his 1,400th career game — McAvoy’s introduction in the starting lineup brought a resounding welcome-back from the TD Garden crowd. He was on the ice when Bergeron gave the B’s an early lead four minutes in, but an untimely gaffe just four minutes later resulted when McAvoy deflected a Leafs pass past Tuukka Rask that tied the game at 1-1.
“I had to [tell Charlie to shake it off],” Rask said. “It was more funny than anything you know? I saw his reaction it was kind of like a slow-motion film but those things happen.”
Rask and company more than made up, potting two power-play goals and an empty-netter in the 4-1 final.
“He still gave us some quality minutes,” Cassidy said, “made good plays, but you could tell obviously that he had been out a little while.”
McAvoy’s final log read a not-to-shabby 18:51 with 18 shifts and a plus-1.
“I wanted to make an impact on the game. Almost a negative one at first,” he laughed, “but overall I think there was more good than bad.
“Coming back is never easy when you want to get right back into game speed and start making plays and the stuff you were doing before, and that will come and that’s fine. There were glimpses of that tonight where I’m coming back and making these plays and they’re going to continue to come. So, I feel good.”
