Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy misses Game 4 against Hurricanes, placed in NHL COVID protocol
Charlie McAvoy, arguably the Boston Bruins’ best defenseman, did not play in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.
The Bruins announced just prior to game time Sunday — as the teams hit the ice for warmups — that the defender has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols and is unavailable.
The 24-year-old McAvoy, an alternate captain for the Bruins, has two assists over three playoff games after scoring 10 goals and adding 46 assists over 78 games during the regular season, his fifth year with the Bruins.
The Bruins are already without key trade deadline acquisition Hampus Lindholm, who helped round out the team’s top four defenders, after a thunderous hit from the Canes’ Andrei Svechnikov in Game 2 of the series in Raleigh.
Sunday, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy hinted that Lindholm may be available for Game 5 in Raleigh on Tuesday, but that was still speculative at this point.
McAvoy, meanwhile, must remain in isolation for five days from the onset of symptoms, per the most recent NHL COVID protocols, and be fever-free for 24 hours and test negative before he can return. McAvoy played Friday, but did not skate Saturday, so the earliest he could be available to resume team activities would be Thursday morning, ahead of a possible Game 6.
The updated list of Bruins defensemen playing in Sunday’s game, without McAvoy and Lindholm, included: Matt Grzelcyk, Brandon Carlo, Derek Forbort, Connor Clifton, Mike Reilly and Josh Brown.
This story was originally published May 8, 2022 at 12:16 PM.
