Bruins Players ‘Have To Fill Roles’ Amid Injury To Charlie McAvoy

The Boston Bruins saw star defenseman Charlie McAvoy exit Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an injury.

McAvoy was struck in the face by a puck from a slap shot from Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson. The Bruins’ star was bleeding as he needed help off the ice.

Luckily, McAvoy was cleared after undergoing a series of tests, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Yet, if McAvoy is going to miss some time, Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei knows players have to step up and fill his role.

“You have to regather yourself after something scary like that. We hope he’s doing all right,” Lohrei said on Saturday, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “When you lose a guy like that — he plays everywhere all over the ice — Guys have to fill roles.”

Bruins head coach Marco Sturm, meanwhile, tried to rally his team around McAvoy as they wanted to win Saturday’s game for him.

“We said between periods that we want to do it for him,” Sturm said. “He’s such a big important piece for our team. That means other guys have to step up. That was nice to see.”

Boston ended up defeating the Canadiens 3-2 on the road to get back into the win column. The Bruins are 12-8-0 and are atop the Atlantic Division.

Boston will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET.