McAvoy Skates With Chara, Krejci Sits Out At Bruins Practice In Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Charlie McAvoy may be in for a huge opportunity to prove himself in his NHL debut.
The 19-year-old McAvoy practiced on a defensive pairing with captain Zdeno Chara at Tuesday's Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton. He also practiced on the Bruins' first power play unit with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Ryan Spooner, according to Matt Kalman.
#NHLBruins practice lines:
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 11, 2017
Marchand—Bergeron—Backes
Stafford—Spooner—Pastrnak
Schaller—Nash—Kuraly—Hayes
Beleskey—JFK—Vatrano
#NHLBruins defense pairs:
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 11, 2017
Chara—McAvoy
Liles—McQuaid
C. Miller—K. Miller
Morrow
McAvoy could particularly excel on the power play, where he could use his puck-moving ability and offensive creativity to his advantage.
To see McAvoy possibly getting top-pairing minutes next to Chara has to be somewhat of a surprise, but it worked out for 20-year-old rookie Brandon Carlo. McAvoy was paired with John-Michael Liles in his first practice with the Bruins on Monday.
Elsewhere at Bruins practice, David Krejci was absent for the second straight day. Spooner centered Krejci's line with Pastrnak and Drew Stafford. Krejci's status for Wednesday night's playoff opener against the Senators is unclear.
Carlo and Noel Acciari have already been ruled out for Wednesday. Torey Krug remains "unlikely" for Game 1, according to interim head coach Bruce Cassidy. The likelihood is that the 19-year-old McAvoy plays in his stead - and, potentially, plays big minutes - when he makes his NHL debut.