Skip to page content
Loading page

What we Learned: Charlie McAvoy is now the most important player in the post-season

Dennis Schneidler - USA TODAY Sports
NHL

Once Brandon Carlo was formally ruled out for the Bruins in Game 4, and Jarred Tinordi drew in, you knew Charlie McAvoy was going to get a big run out.

And normally, that's fine. He's a Norris-calibre defenceman and who can play in all situations and is used to big minutes as a general rule. He averaged 24 per game in the regular season and that's increased to nearly 27 here in the post-season (skewed upward somewhat by the fact that the Bruins have played seven overtimes in this series). It was, frankly, a surprise that Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy throttled back on his usage in Game 4 — just 24:16 overall; 19:01 at 5-on-5, 2:55 on the power play, and only 1:15 on the PK. Even despite the smaller amount of ice time, he led all Bruins skaters by a margin of almost four minutes.

But then a

Premium article
Register to unlock in-depth articles and gain access to quality, exclusive coverage at EP Rinkside. Stay informed and ahead of the game—upgrade to Premium today!
Next Article