BOSTON — Charlie McAvoy could do whatever he wanted with the puck Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The star defenseman though mostly used his terrific talent to lend a helping hand to his teammates in a lopsided 6-1 win for the Bruins at TD Garden, which came with a side of history.
McAvoy dished out a career-high four assists as he was at the center of the pristine puck movement the Bruins exhibited as part of their dominant offensive performance.
It was just the fifth game of the campaign for McAvoy as the 24-year-old got a later start due to his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery. And after tallying just three points through his first four games, McAvoy returned to form against the Blackhawks with an undeniable dynamic presence on the ice.
“I think he’s got the rust off and he’s starting to play on his toes and he’s just using his God-given ability to make things happen,” Bruins first-year coach Jim Montgomery said. “He can skate right by forwards. He had the poise, whether he’s looking at (Matt Grzelcyk) or he’s looking in the slot and then boom, he’s down the wall and he’s making things happen. It’s nice to see and we knew it was just a matter of time.”
McAvoy assisted on all three of Boston’s second-period goals, the most notable of his helpers in the frame came on Patrice Bergeron’s goal to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead 4:28 into the stanza.
McAvoy then set up goals by Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci in the final two minutes of the second period that effectively put the game away.
“A couple fun shifts. Just trying to make some stuff happen,” McAvoy said. “Feeling confident with the puck. Legs feel good. Brain feels good. Trying to move quick and use my first reads. It’s certainly easy when you’re playing with guys with this much skill. Up and down our lineup we got a lot of really special players, so just trying to let my instincts take over and be in position where I can help guys.”
To go along with the terrific performance, McAvoy also sported the alternate captain “A” on his reverse retro “Pooh Bear” jersey for the first time this season.
Montgomery said it was planned for McAvoy to get the “A” for Saturday’s contest, and he certainly played the part of a captain by leading the way to yet another win on home ice.
“Him and (Pastrnak) are going to switch off,” Montgomery said. “He just hadn’t worn it. We let him get his feet wet and put the A on him and he’ll have it throughout this road trip.”
