Bruce Cassidy Talks Charlie McAvoy Absence As Bruins Star In COVID Protocol

BOSTON — Charlie McAvoy did not take the ice Sunday afternoon at TD Garden as the Boston Bruins announced the star defenseman was in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol shortly before puck drop of Game 4.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, while acknowledging he did not know the exact timeline for McAvoy’s return, added some context to the situation after Boston’s 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

“We knew this morning that something might be amiss, found out before warm-ups that he was going into protocol. So that’s how we handled it,” Cassidy said after the Bruins tied the best-of-seven series.

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Josh Brown slotted into the lineup for McAvoy while playing on the third pairing.

“So when he comes back, when he’s out of protocol, how does he get out of protocol? I honestly don’t know if he can test his way out or if he has to wait a certain amount of days,” Cassidy continued.

He added: “I think the best thing is for us (the organization), honestly, is to give you an update on that because I’m going to be speaking out of turn. The COVID rules before, they might be the exact same I don’t know, because it seems like now it wasn’t much of an issue lately. So it surprised us a little bit. But it is what it is. Let’s hope Charlie comes out of it well, first of all, and feels fine and we get him back in the lineup as soon as possible. But when that is, I honestly, I’m not the guy to answer and I assume our team will give you a statement on that if they have any information.”

The Bruins came together and made up for the loss of McAvoy perhaps best depicted by their two power-play goals and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

Following their win Sunday, the Bruins now will get ready to head to Carolina with Game 5 set for Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch full coverage on NESN, including an hour of pregame.