The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers are facing off in a rather important contest when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Panthers are trying to chase Boston down in the standings, while the Bruins want to continue establishing a grip on its playoff spot. For now, though, the focus is mainly on the health of defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
The Bruins defenseman was skating with the puck on Wednesday night. He entered the neutral zone and passed the puck up the ice. Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis delivered a dirty hit, jumping up to make contact high on McAvoy. The Bruins star left the game following this hit.
Charlie McAvoy has gone to the room after taking this hit from Sandis Vilmanis 🤕
Vilmanis received a 2-minute minor for illegal check to the head. pic.twitter.com/uYT2e7JAHy
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) February 5, 2026
McAvoy is one of the Bruins' most reliable defensemen. In fact, he is the most trusted defenseman on the team, leading the squad with 24 minutes of ice time per game. He has four goals and 38 points for a resurgent Boston team fighting for a Wild Card spot.
The Bruins star is slated to represent Team USA in the upcoming Winter Olympics. The Olympic Games are slated to begin on February 5th, with the American men's hockey team playing its first game on February 12th.
McAvoy is representing his country for a second straight season after he participated in last year's 4 Nations Faceoff tournament. Unfortunately, he suffered a significant shoulder injury at that event. Team USA made the 4 Nations Final, ultimately losing to Canada without McAvoy on the ice.
The Bruins and their fans will hold their breaths waiting for an official update on McAvoy. Hopefully, he avoided a serious injury, and this looks way worse than it actually is.
