The Boston Bruins will be without defenseman Charlie McAvoy in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Columbus Blue Jackets athletic trainer Mike Vogt, right, tends to Josh Anderson after he was hit by Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy during the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series Monday, May 6, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. Jay LaPrete AP
McAvoy was handed a one-game suspension Tuesday by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Josh Anderson of the Columbus Blue Jackets late in the second period of their game Monday in Columbus. The Bruins won 3-0 to win the series 4-2.
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) knocked Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Josh Anderson (77) down to the ice after a hit to the head in the second period during Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals at Nationwide Arena on May 6, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. The Bruins won, 3-0. Kyle Robertson TNS
The NHL Department of Player Safety, which announced the suspension, said McAvoy delivered a “high, hard check that made Anderson’s head the main point of contact” and was avoidable.
It was noted that McAvoy had neither been fined nor suspended previously in his 117-game NHL career.
This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 6:33 PM.
In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.