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Charlie McAvoy cashes in on lucky break for first goal of the season |
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This is not the first time Jake DeBrusk has tackled a teammate to the ice, and honestly, it’s probably not the last.
After scoring a goal in a game against the Rangers last March, DeBrusk attempted to jump into the arms of David Pastrnak who picked up the assist on DeBrusk’s 24th goal of the season.
But another epic moment of #CelllySzn quickly turned to concern as DeBrusk ended up tackling Pastrnak to the ice instead.
"I was actually really concerned. When we were on the ground there I tried to make eye contact with him to make sure he was okay,” DeBrsuk said last March. “Obviously just emotions but I’ve actually done that in the past before but not the same result.”
Fortunately for everyone involved, Pastrnak was just fine, going on to complete the hat trick with this third goal of the game later in the contest.
So when DeBrusk connected with Charlie McAvoy for the overtime game-winning goal Wednesday night in Chicago, no one should have been surprised by DeBrusk’s reaction.
Part of it being the excitement of setting up the overtime winner, part of it being excited to see a teammate finally get the monkey off his back with his first goal of the season.
“They wouldn’t let me up. After about 30 seconds, I said, ‘I guess we’re staying in Chicago tonight,'” a smiling McAvoy said.
“But that was awesome. We’re such a close group. I could feel everyone’s genuine happiness for me and we all share that with each other when anybody does good things. That was special, gave a lot of guys hugs after the game.”
Sometimes when pucks are not going in for you as an individual, you need a little luck on your side to change things up for you. McAvoy and the Bruins got that at the end of the third period.
With 1:05 left in regulation of a tied game, Blackhawks forward Drake Caggiula scored what appeared to be the go-ahead goal. However, the goal was immediately waived off as referee Peter MacDougall ruled the play dead thanks to what he saw as an Olli Maatta hand pass.
In real time it was tough to see the puck graze the stick of Matta, —who was face first on the ice thanks to a Torey Krug tripping penalty—but after seeing the replay, it was clear that it was a missed call from MacDougall. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said post game MacDougall admitted his mistake.
McAvoy and the Bruins went on to cash in on MacDougall’s mistake.
"Relief," McAvoy said of his first goal of the season. "It was a heck of a play by JD [DeBrusk] and just really simple for me, I was just trying to go to the back post and what a pass. He put it right on my stick, the rest is history."
McAvoy has taken some criticism of late for his failure to score goals. He entered the United Center Wednesday night 0-19-19 on the season.
As solid as he’s been in just about every other area—more on that below—there’s no denying that goose egg in the goals column weighs on you a bit.
“It weighs, as much as you don’t want to say, you think about it, your confidence and everything,” said McAvoy. “You feel like you can contribute a set amount and sometimes when it’s not there, it takes a bit of a hit.”
Playing his third season with the Bruins, McAvoy finished each his rookie and sophomore campaigns with seven goals. He chipped in with 25 and 21 assists respectively. At his current rate, McAvoy is on pace to tie his career high in points, while setting a new career high in assists.
“He does a lot for us. Just from talking to him, he was getting a little anxious about [scoring a goal]. That’s natural and to be expected,” said defenseman Torey Krug.
“But he hasn't let it affect what he does for us the rest of the way as far as being a great defenseman for this team and shutting down other teams' top lines and moving the puck and doing everything else well."
Even though McAvoy’s goal numbers are down, every other aspect of his game has grown. And with that, McAvoy has taken on more responsibilities.
McAvoy leads the Bruins in Time on Ice, (1203:52) 5v5 Time on Ice (973:52) and shots blocked with 104. He’s also tied with Sean Kuraly for second on the team in hits with 111, 40 behind Chris Wagner. Furthermore, his 29 takeaways ranks third on the team behind David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle, but ranks first among Bruins defensemen.
Hey, who knows. Maybe this is the one that opens the floodgates for McAvoy.
“Hopefully from here, (you get) a little bit more confidence and just start to maybe see more things go in for me,” McAvoy said.
“But as a team, that was a big win for us”
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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