When Charlie McAvoy took a puck to the face on Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens off a deflected shot, it didn't look good. When he was placed on injured reserve, it wouldn't have been surprising that fans didn't see the Boston Bruins' top defenseman for a couple of months.
Guess again.
After a month out, McAvoy made his return on Thursday night in the Black and Gold's 6-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets to improve to 2-0-0 on their three-game road trip. McAvoy played 24:16 in his return with one assist and four shots on goal.
“A lot of fun. The guys have been playing great hockey. It is always tough to sit out, especially when they’re looking like they’re having a lot of fun and playing really good,” McAvoy said. “It’s a joy to be back, playing with this group. We had a great game tonight. That’s a big road win.”
I know you're surprised to hear this, but the Bruins suffered two more injuries against the Jets. Defenseman Jonathan Aspirot left after the first period, and forward Viktor Arvidsson did not return for the third period. There should be updates from Marco Sturm on Saturday as the Bruins hold a practice in Minnesota before Sunday night's game against the Wild.
Tampa Bay suffers injury on defense
Injuries have become a big issue around the NHL early this year, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are the latest to see a star player go down. Defenseman Victor Hedman was placed on injured reserve on Thursday by Tampa Bay. On Friday, they gave an update.
The team announced that Hedman will undergo elbow surgery on Monday and be out until February. He is expected to return in time to play for Sweden at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026 in February. Before the Olympic break, the Bruins and Lightning will play in the Stadium Series Game in Tampa on Feb. 1.
Providence Bruins beat Hershey Bears
The Providence Bruins beat the Hershey Bears, 4-1, on Friday night with some familiar names scoring for the P-Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) win.
Georgii Merkulov, Matthew Poitras, Dans Locmelis, and Ty Gallagher all found the back of the net. It's Gallagher's first goal of the season, while Merkulov potted his eighth on the power play. Providence will visit the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on Saturday night.