The Bruins had only just killed off an inexplicable third-period penalty — yet another bench minor for too many men on the ice — when Connor Clifton sprung Nick Ritchie from the box.
Within seconds Ritchie was in front of the Islanders net, perfectly positioned for the play that would come next, the one that might be easily overlooked in the glow of David Pastrnak’s hat-trick night, but one that did just as much (maybe more?) to secure the Bruins’ 5-2 win in Game 1 of their playoff opener against the Islanders.
The play that was made by Charlie McAvoy.
As if the Bruins’ No. 1 defenseman hadn’t done enough these playoffs to move into the NHL’s most rarefied air, his wicked blast from the point added yet another layer to his greatness, a screaming goal that sailed through Ritchie’s screen and past Ilya Sorokin’s stick to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead. It was McAvoy’s first goal of the postseason, joining the five assists and endless minutes the 23-year-old had given across the opening series, and would count as the game-winner.
It was a goal to pushTD Garden to its most off-the-charts volume of an incredibly loud night, releasing the pent-up energy of fans who hadn’t been allowed to fill the building for 444 COVID-blocked days, fans who were determined to let the hockey world know just how grateful they were to be back.
The Bruins seemed equally determined to reward their faith. For McAvoy, a kid who grew up on Long Island, in the very suburbs of New York that inspired his playoff opponents’ name, the night couldn’t have gone any better.
“He gets the winner against his old team, probably feels special to him, he can rub it in to his buddies back home,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “At the end of the day, it’s a huge goal for us. Not surprised. Charlie’s coming around offensively. He’s playing more, more confident with his shot versus distribution ratio, shooting the puck a bit more. That one happened to have eyes and it was good timing for us.”
One that McAvoy insisted couldn’t have happened without Ritchie, for his selfless work in the crease, or David Krejci, for his pinpoint pass with eyes.
“So I saw the puck get rimmed, coming off the bench, Krech got it, and knowing the player Krech is, he knows where everyone is on the ice,” McAvoy said. “I wanted to make myself available in a shooting position. I knew I had a guy coming on me, that I had to shoot off to the side of his body, and watching the goal you can attribute all of it to Nick Ritchie in front. So many times this year, he’s standing in front, taking everyone’s eyes, being a pain. So selfless.”
So true, and so much the words of an ever-maturing, evolving leader. Once again, McAvoy was up for anything and everything Saturday night, flying around the ice in 5-on-5, delivering hits and mixing it up (like he did at the end of the second period), ready for the penalty kill and the power play alike — always out there, reminding everyone he has the lung capacity befitting an Olympic swimmer.
Even better, stamina reminiscent of a certain Hall of Fame Bruins defenseman, a player similarly known for the indefatigable ability to outlast anyone on skates.
“He’s just got the complete package,” Hall of Famer Ray Bourque said in a pregame phone call, hours before he would head to his North End restaurant Tresca and then onto the Garden with his two sons and grandson to watch the game. “He’s big, he’s strong, he skates well, he sees the ice well, he moves well. He’s counted on to play major minutes. He anchors the defense and he is improving all the time, taking charge.
“He hasn’t even hit how good he’s going to be. The bigger the game, the better he is.”
The former Bruins captain is one of the great links in the steely chain of d-men who have fortified this franchise across its history, and in seeing McAvoy both up close and from afar, Bourque fully believes he is watching “the next guy” in that chain.
“When he was drafted [14th overall in 2016] the hype and everything about him was that he was going to be the next guy and we’re seeing that now,” Bourque said. “I’m a believer that for any real good team, you have to have that anchor to count on to eat up minutes and play in all situations. He is that.
“I just like the physical aspect as well in a defenseman that is in that position for a team. He dishes some major hits.”
For all the things that have gone right these playoffs - the undeniable leadership of Patrice Bergeron, the steady backstopping of Tuukka Rask, the awakening of Pastrnak, the alternating brilliance of Brad Marchand, Taylor Hall, or Krejci, the valuable contributions of Matt Grzelcyk, Clifton, Charlie Coyle, or Jake DeBrusk - McAvoy’s consistency has been absolutely vital. He sets the foundation.
He averaged a team-high 27:15 of ice time in the five games against the Caps, including a game-high 33:53 in the double-overtime win in Game 3. And had that game not been ended by Craig Smith’s heads-up game-winner on a goalie mistake, McAvoy would have kept on skating. Tireless doesn’t begin to describe him.
“It’s obviously something you notice, maybe the first thing you notice with him,” Bergeron said. “Training camp or a captain’s practice, you do a little scrimmage, and he’ll be on the ice for five-plus minutes and seems to still be flying out there. He’s one of those guys that can skate forever and never get tired. It’s definitely great to have it. I wish I felt that way as well. It’s very impressive and a testament to his conditioning.”
And to his strength. And to his skill.
One game into the second round of the playoffs, the Bruins 2021 story is far from written. But neither is McAvoy’s. His ascension in the aftermath of Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug has played out in real time excellence, an ongoing maturation before our eyes that, much like the man himself, shows no sign of slowing down.
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Globe_Tara.
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