WATCH: Charlie McAvoy lowers boom for Team USA in win over Canada
Saturday’s USA-Canada tilt did not begin the way that Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy had hoped.
Given a simple sliver of daylight, Team Canada’s Connor McDavid turned on the jets and torched McAvoy and the rest of the Americans on the way to a game-opening tally for his club. With a player like McDavid, whose top skating speed went up to 22 miles per hour on the way to the goal, it doesn’t take much. But it was the response, led by McAvoy, that opened the door to Team USA’s comeback win.
In fact, all McAvoy needed to do was wait for one of his next head-to-heads with McDavid to send Canada’s top star absolutely flying and help launch Team USA’s push the other way.
MY GOODNESS.
Now, McAvoy’s ability to put opponents on the tracks is nothing new. McAvoy typically comes through with at least one of these booms every springtime in Boston. His most recent one came back in Game 4 of last year’s second-round series against the Panthers, when McAvoy decided to respond to Sam Bennett taking out Brad Marchand in the previous game with an absolutely crushing hit on Sam Reinhart.
But to do it to Connor McDavid? That’s the kind of hit that will and did send shockwaves through the Bell Centre, and it was not the first time that McAvoy had zeroed in on McDavid on the way to victory.
Deployed for 19:27 of time on ice, McAvoy led the USA backend with five hits and only Brady Tkachuk (six hits) had more among all USA skaters in the 3-1 victory.
McAvoy was also leaned on for some big-time minutes with Team USA down a man, and had a great first-period disruption on what would’ve been a great cross-slot feed with the Canadians on the power play.
With the victory, Team USA improved to 2-0-0-0 in the tournament, and have already locked up a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game next Thursday at Boston’s TD Garden.
McAvoy and the rest of Team USA will conclude round-robin play with a Monday night head-to-head against Sweden at TD Garden, with puck drop set for 8 p.m.
