Share this Story: TRAIKOS: Bruins in tough to replicate suspended Charlie McAvoy's play on blueline TRAIKOS: Bruins in tough to replicate suspended Charlie McAvoy's play on blueline Photo by Claus Andersen / Getty Images Article content BOSTON — When it comes to his defensive play, Charlie McAvoy has all the makings of a future Norris Trophy winner. The 21-year-old puts up points, logs big-time minutes and has a very positive plus-minus rating. He battles, blocks shots and is not afraid to deliver body checks. But his biggest strength might be his effortless stride, which can, according to Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, make “Charlie at times a great one-man breakout.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or TRAIKOS: Bruins in tough to replicate suspended Charlie McAvoy's play on blueline Back to video Off the ice, however, his ability to mount an effective defence received a different type of verdict. On Tuesday, McAvoy was suspended for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final for an illegal hit to the head that he delivered against Columbus’ Josh Anderson in the previous round of the playoffs. It was a suspension that McAvoy said he accepts, even though he received only a two-minute penalty on the play. “I said my peace in accordance to the rules,” he said of meeting with the NHL’s department of player safety. “I thought we put a pretty good defence. Just kind of slowing down (the video) and watching how his body changed at the last second and opened up, it’s tough. I was just trying to make a hockey play. It was just unfortunate really. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Obviously, I’m not a very good lawyer.” The loss of McAvoy could be a big one for the Bruins, who got two days rest before going up against a Hurricanes team that swept their second-round opponent last Friday. Carolina plays big and fast — a combination of the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jackets — and with McAvoy out, you just know that the game plan will be to work Boston’s depleted defence by dumping the puck in deep and making 42-year-old Zdeno Chara and 5-foot-9 Torey Krug retrieve it. The Bruins will rely on Steve Kampfer or Connor Clifton in place of McAvoy for Game 1, but don’t expect either one of them to fill his minutes or replicate the offensive production that McAvoy (one goal and six points in 13 playoff games) brings to the table. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “At the end of the day, we’re going to look for a real solid effort from those six defencemen,” said Cassidy. “We’re not asking Connor Clifton or Steve Kampfer to do what Charlie does. But each guy on that blue line is going to have to elevate a bit.” Against the Blue Jackets’ forecheck, McAvoy’s ability to lug the puck up the ice or find the open man with an outlet pass was essential. So, too, was his knack for jumping up in the rush and masquerading as a fourth forward. “Chucky’s normally in front of us,” joked Brad Marchand. “But you can’t replace what he brings. I don’t think you try to.” The only thing Boston can do is try and get through Game 1. For that, they have experience on their side. The Bruins were one of the most depleted teams in the regular season, losing 245 man-games to injury. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content And it wasn’t just any run-of-the-mill player who was out of the line-up. McAvoy missed 28 games, while Zdeno Chara missed 21 and Torey Krug missed 18. That’s three of their top defenceman absent for 67 games. The team was also without two-thirds of its top line (Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak) for 33 games and went 14 games without second-line winger Jake DeBrusk. And yet, the Bruins never missed a beat, finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to a “next-man up” mentality that will once again be relied on with McAvoy out of the line-up. “It’s been like that for a few years,” said Bergeron. “But this year especially, it’s all about the next man up. I think our depth has been tested this year and we’ve responded every time.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Everyone pulls on the rope,” said McAvoy. “Whoever slots in (for Game 1), I have faith that they’re going to do a good job.” As for McAvoy, don’t expect this brush with the NHL’s department of player safety to change the type of player he is. After all, it was his first suspension. And though it comes at a key time for the Bruins, it was not the kind of play that he sees himself getting into trouble for again. “I don’t think I’m a dirty player by any means,” he said, adding that he spoke with Anderson and let him know that he wasn’t trying to go for the head with the hit. “I was just trying to deliver a legal check. For the most part, I thought I got a good amount of body. This is just something that I’m going to have to serve. And I respect their decision.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Marchand won’t discuss past, ‘on to Round 3’ BOSTON — A barefoot Brad Marchand walked up to the podium and smiled. Two days earlier, the Boston Bruins forward had pulled a page out of Marshawn Lynch’s playbook by delivering mostly one-word answers in a post-game interview. Some found it funny. Some thought he was being immature.<doc-sep>The Boston Bruins have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2013, but the B’s will be a bit shorthanded when they take the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes. Charlie McAvoy was suspended for Game 1 of the series after an illegal check to the head of Josh Anderson in Game 6 of their second-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Bruins will have to go one without the young blue liner, with Steven Kampfer expected to jump into the lineup. To hear more from Kampfer, check out “NESN Sports Today,” presented by People’s United Bank.<doc-sep>Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was suspended for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals for his hit on Columbus Blue Jackets right winger Josh Anderson. Anderson shared his thoughts on the hit with reporters in Columbus on Monday, with the 25-year-old noting it was a hit to head. But he played it pretty cool, saying he and McAvoy had their “moment” in the handshake line after the Bruins had eliminated the Blue Jackets. #CBJ F Josh Anderson on hit by #NHLBruins D Charlie McAvoy: "It was a hit to the head. The referees made a call, but it?s hockey. It happened so fast that obviously I don?t think he was trying to hit me in the head. It just happened. Fast." — Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) May 8, 2019 #CBJ F Josh Anderson said Charlie McAvoy apologized for the hit in the handshake line. "We had our moment in the line. It is what it is." — Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) May 8, 2019 Anderson added that he did go through concussion protocol following the hit and was cleared following the tests. But it didn’t sound like he was on top of his game in the third period. Anderson said he did go through the NHL's concussion protocol after the McAvoy hit, before being cleared to return for the third. How was he able to return? "It?s the playoffs. You have to. I was cleared and ready to go." How?d you feel in third? "Not great. "#CBJ — Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) May 8, 2019 McAvoy took the high road when speaking with reporters Wednesday, saying that he respected the league’s decision. Thumbnail photo via Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>
The Boston Bruins open the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at home. But defenseman Charlie McAvoy won't be participating in Game 1, having been suspended for one playoff game by the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for an illegal check to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson. It's the first time McAvoy, 21, has been fined or suspended in his two-year NHL career. In the second period of Game 6 on Monday night, Anderson and Zdeno Chara of the Bruins raced after a loose puck. Anderson gained control and attempted to move deeper into the attacking zone. McAvoy skated over and checked Anderson, making contact with his body but mostly with his head. Anderson fell to the ice and went to the trainers room with 23 seconds remaining in the period. He later returned to the game and even had a conversation with McAvoy in the handshake line after the Bruins eliminated the Blue Jackets with a 3-0 win. Despite the impact of the hit, McAvoy was given only a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head by the on-ice officials. Since there is no provision for a major penalty on that call, the refs had to decide whether to give him two minutes or a match penalty, which carries an ejection. But that latter call is made only in cases where the officials feel there was a deliberate intent to injure another player. McAvoy said there wasn't any intent on his part. "I put my shoulder into him," he said. "It was a hockey play. I tried to deliver a check. I was penalized two minutes for it." The Department of Player Safety said it accepted McAvoy's argument that there was no malicious intent on the hit but that his approach in making the hit showed poor decision-making -- that a hit delivered through the core of Anderson's body was possible but McAvoy instead went too high and made contact with the Blue Jackets forward's head. "It's important to note that while Anderson's body and front shoulder do absorb some contact on this check, the main point of contact was the head," the department said in a video explaining the one-game suspension. McAvoy played 54 games for the Bruins in the regular season, scoring seven goals, making 21 assists and skating 22:10 per game. Through 13 playoff games, he has a goal and five assists and is averaging 24:46 of ice time.