By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Charlie McAvoy continues to show signs of life on offense. The Bruins defenseman made a series of plays to beat just about everyone on the ice against the Stars on Thursday, setting up a nice goal for Brad Marchand.
Watch the highlight in the below video. You’ll see in the first replay that the play started because McAvoy kept the puck alive in the offensive zone and narrowly fed it to an open Charlie Coyle. Then McAvoy bursts right by Alexander Radulov, who here looks like his controller got disconnected, to the right of Stars goalie Ben Bishop. Once anyone on Dallas noticed where McAvoy had slipped by it was too late.
At first he whiffs trying to pass the loose puck, but McAvoy showed good poise to gather it and make a smooth feed to Marchand in front. The latter had slipped away from Stars defenseman Roman Polak and Bishop really had no chance to stop the puck.
Since finally scoring his first goal on Feb. 5, McAvoy is up to three tallies and eight assists in his last 11 games. It’s easily his best offensive stretch of the season.
Marchand’s goal was a glimpse of what McAvoy can be when he’s at his best. He has the ability to impact the game in all three zones and make smart, simple plays to galvanize the Bruins’ attack. The defense has been there all season, but if he can keep up the offense he’ll be a hugely impactful player for the Bruins down the stretch.
As of this writing, the Stars scored early in the third period but David Pastrnak answered with his 46th goal of the season to make it 4-2 Bruins at TD Garden.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.