Charlie McAvoy will be out indefinitely after having facial surgery, the Boston Bruins announced on Wednesday.
The defenseman was struck in the face by a Noah Dobson slap shot in the second period of a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and taken to a hospital. McAvoy did not play in a 3-1 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
“He’s doing good. He’s recovering right now at home, and we still don’t know how long he’s going to be out for,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said Wednesday prior to their game at the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, NESN, TVAS2, SN360). “Other guys have to step up, I think that’s the bottom line. It can’t be (Nikita) Zadorov and (Hampus) Lindholm.”
McAvoy has 14 assists in 19 games this season and leads the Bruins in time on ice per game (23:46).
Boston is also without forwards Elias Lindholm (lower body), Viktor Arvidsson (lower body) and Casey Mittelstadt (lower body), and defenseman Jordan Harris (ankle surgery).
“Every team goes through it and unfortunately it’s us right now,” Sturm said. “When you talk to players, they always want ice time, they always want playing time, they hate to be scratched, and this and this and that. Well, this is their opportunity.”
