The Boston Bruins started off Round 1 slow, losing to the Washington Capitals in overtime by a score of 3-2 in Game 1. However, the B’s quickly figured things out and won the next four games to down the Caps in five games and advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs where they’ll take on either the New York Islanders or Pittsburgh Penguins.
There’s no doubt that beating a team that just won the Stanley Cup three seasons ago takes a whole team effort, especially the last two games of the series where Boston dominated 4-1 and 3-1, however there were a few players that stood out for most, or even the entirety, of the series.
Boston Bruins 3 Stars of First Round
Third Star: Charlie McAvoy – Defenseman
Charlie McAvoy was undoubtedly the B’s best defenseman this season. He played 51 of 56 games and finished the season with five goals and 25 assists with a +22 rating. He’s definitely going to get some Norris Trophy consideration.
McAvoy continued his excellent season in Boston first-round series against the Caps.
Once again, McAvoy was the go-to D-man for the Black and Gold as he averaged over 27 minutes of ice time per game. He also continued his strong playmaking performance, averaging an assist a game and putting up three powerplay assists in the B’s dominant Game 4 victory.
McAvoy’s five assists are actually the most among defensemen this postseason.
Additionally, McAvoy finished the series with 15 shots on goal, nine blocked shots, 12 hits, four takeaways, just three giveaways, and as a +4. He was truly a monster this series and a huge reason why the Black and Gold were able to shutdown the Caps and advance to the second round.