The Boston Bruins got a tough injury blow when defenseman Charlie McAvoy went down in a recent game. McAvoy took a hit to the face when Boston played the Florida Panthers in a recent contest.

McAvoy posted a picture to social media of his face, and what it looked like after the incident. The left side of his face near his mouth was swollen. The image was posted along with a short video that showed what happened.

McAvoy got hurt after he took an elbow to his face, from Panthers player Sandis Vilmanis. It was a nasty knock, that sent McAvoy out of the game. He was able to return and Boston ended up losing that contest in a shootout, 5-4.

“It was a brutal hit, and everyone saw it,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said postgame, per SportsNet. “Obviously, I had the opportunity to look at the replay, too. To come out with four-on-four like that, I just didn't understand.”

Vilmanis was assessed a two-minute minor for the incident. After that hit, Bruins defenseman Jonathan Aspirot retaliated on the Panthers forward. Aspirot was then handed a two-minute minor too for roughing Vilmanis.

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Charlie McAvoy has had some tough injury luck for the Bruins 

This isn't the first time McAvoy has injured his face during this campaign. He also missed a substantial amount of time earlier this season, after taking a slap shot to the face. He ended up fracturing his jaw.

“I'm here to protect my guys, especially Charlie,” Sturm added. “If you target his head, which was clear to see, that just pisses me off.”

McAvoy has 39 points this season, in 45 games. The Bruins are 32-20-5 on the season. Boston's defenseman is skating for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Vilmanis did not receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL after that incident, SportsNet reported.

Boston's next game is against the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 26. Bruins fans hope that McAvoy is right as rain when the team resumes play.