Charlie McAvoy is proof hockey is in the ascendancy south of the United States-Canada border.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski on Thursday named the Boston Bruins defenseman the team’s “most captivating” U.S.-born player Thursday. McAvoy, a Long Beach, N.Y., native, quickly cemented himself as a top-pairing defender, and his future might be even brighter than his impressive present.
“OK, so a 3.4 shooting percentage isn’t what you want out of a defenseman in his third NHL season,” Wyshynski wrote. “But the 22-year-old remains one of the best young defensemen in the game and a solid running mate for Zdeno Chara.”
With McAvoy’s help, the Bruins held their No. 2 position in ESPN’s latest NHL power rankings. They went 3-0 during the recently concluded (Wednesday to Wednesday) ranking period, with victories over the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers helping them maintain their edge over the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference standings.
As is the case with ESPN, Boston also is No. 2 in NHL.com’s power rankings for the third consecutive week. In his “hit” and “miss” segments, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen praises the Bruins’ performances on home ice but laments Jake DeBrusk’s recent loss of scoring punch.
Hit: The Bruins have won seven games in a row at TD Garden since Jan. 9 and are 21-2-9 at home. Their two regulation losses at home are fewest in the NHL.
Miss: Forward Jake DeBrusk does not have a point in his past five games.
The Bruins trail only the Lightning in ESPN’s and NHL.com’s power rankings.
Boston will visit the Calgary Flames on Friday and Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The Bruins then will return home and host the Flames on Wednesday. Both ESPN and NHL.com will reassess the pecking order, and the Bruins just might find themselves on top if they maintain their current form.
