Bruins head coach Marco Sturm wishes he could play No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy all game long. And these days, it’s hard to blame him for feeling that way.
It’s also no surprise that with a take like that, McAvoy has earned the nod as The Peterson School’s Hardest Working Player of the Week.
In action for three games this past week, McAvoy finished with one goal and four points, which was tops among all Boston defenders and fifth-most among all NHL defensemen.
Over that three-game run, McAvoy also landed five hits and got in right of seven shots for blocks.
McAvoy’s most pivotal block came in the B’s bounce-back win over the Golden Knights, too, when he threw himself in front of a Jack Eichel blast to help preserve the lead with 25 seconds left in the game.
And speaking about that block after the game, McAvoy, who is still recovering from a broken jaw, kept it simple.
“It was my turn [and] sometimes it’s your turn,” McAvoy said of his willingness to do the dirty work. “You gotta block that shot. We’ve got to see this through and those two points are huge for us.”
The Bruins have also leaned on McAvoy heavily in back-to-back wins, with McAvoy logging over 27 minutes in both the win over Vegas and then the third-period comeback win over Montreal.
If the Bruins are going to hit their ceiling down the stretch here, there’s no doubt that they’ll need No. 73 to dig in and provide that gritty, three-zone play each and every night.
Best of all, it’s a role and assignment that McAvoy is clearly relishing for his surging hockey club right now.
The Hardest Working Player of the Week is sponsored by The Peterson School. The Peterson School is now enrolling for their spring semester in Woburn, Westwood, Worcester, and Haverhill. To learn more, visit petersonschool.com.