Bruins believe Charlie McAvoy will be OK after bloody collision with post

By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com

The scariest thing about Bryan Rust's shorthanded breakaway in the third period of a tied game came at the end of the play, surprisingly enough, as Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy crashed face-first into Jaroslav Halak's post.

Down in a heap inside the Boston net, McAvoy slowly got to his feet, and made his way down to the B's room with a bloodstained visor on full display. It was enough to keep McAvoy out for the remainder of a 6-4 victory over the Penguins, but the Bruins do not expect that it's going be anything major for the 21-year-old defender.

"I don’t believe there’s anything more [than just the cut]," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the win. "It happened so late; I have not gotten an update. First thing you’re worried about is a concussion, obviously, but I think it was just the cut in the back of his head and Torey [Krug] got kicked, too, up high. So, I’m going to assume that’s the worst of their damage will be some sutures, but until I get back in there and get a better read on it, I’ve got nothing else right now."

McAvoy has been Cassidy's go-to defenseman from the jump this year, averaging a team-high 22:01 of time on ice through 14 games, with three assists and a plus-5 rating as Zdeno Chara's right-side do-it-all partner on Boston's top pair.

But if McAvoy's cut is deep enough to keep him out of action, it's likely that Tuesday's head-to-head in Montreal would come with Steven Kampfer, who suited up for last Saturday's win over the Senators, would draw back in the B's lineup.

The 31-year-old Kampfer has three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in two games with the Bruins this year.

The Bruins enter Montreal with six straight victories to their name.