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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for four games by the NHL department of player safety for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson during Boston’s overtime win on Monday night.
McAvoy received a match penalty at 9 minutes, 24 seconds of the third period.
After goalie Sergei Bobrovsky saved a shot by Boston’s Brad Marchand, Ekman-Larsson corralled the puck and passed it to Panthers teammate Anton Lundell. After the pass, McAvoy delivered the high hit on Ekman-Larsson. The NHL determined that “such contact was avoidable,” which satisfied the two criteria for the infraction.
“McAvoy chooses an angle of approach that cuts across Ekman-Larsson’s body, missing his core and picking his head,” the NHL said Tuesday in a video explaining the suspension.
When asked about the hit after the game, Panthers coach Paul Maurice noted that McAvoy delivered a similar hit to Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe in the first period.
McAvoy was previously suspended for an illegal check to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson in May 2019, missing one playoff game. He was fined for tripping in May 2022. Those were the only infractions of his seven-year career, which spans 389 games.
McAvoy will forfeit $197,916.68 in salary under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Florida’s seven-game upset of the Bruins in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, following Boston’s record-breaking regular-season success.