Bruins Game Day Notes: McAvoy released from hospital

Boston Bruins rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been released from Massachusetts General Hospital less than 24 hours after having a minor procedure to treat an abnormal heart rhythm.

"He's doing very well and everything went well," said coach Bruce Cassidy. "My concern, and our concern as an organization is obviously his health going forward. . . Again, his health is our No. 1 priority and he's doing terrific and we'll see how he recovers from there."

Added Cassidy, "I have not talked to him yet, but Don (Sweeney) has and he's doing terrific."



McAvoy is expected to miss at least two weeks before he's re-evaluated. Following the Bruins game on Nov. 26, McAvoy told team physicians that he experienced heart palpitations during the game. After an evaluation, he was diagnosed with a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). According to team internist Dr. David Finn, McAvoy's condition is not considered dangerous to his health.

McAvoy played 23 games after his diagnosis, and at no time was Cassidy worried because the rookie had been cleared to play and was being monitored closely by the medical staff.

"No, it's not going through my head, because there was no risk," Cassidy said. "It was up to Charlie, his parents and the medical staff when do we need to deal with this accordingly and that's the decision they made and we were supportive of it 100 percent."

McAvoy, 20, has five goals and 20 assists for 25 points, including a plus-18 in 45 games this season. The top-pairing defenseman is averaging 22:49 of ice time per game. In his absence, from a defensive standpoint, the Bruins already have continuity with the players all comfortable no matter the pairing. Here's what it will look like tonight against the New Jersey Devils.

Zdeno Chara-Brandon Carlo

Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid

Matt Grzelcyk-Kevan Miller

"It's a good problem to have as a coach - to have too many good players," Cassidy said. "If we don't have enough good players, then that's a bad problem to have. For us to have eight defensemen that we believe can play in the National Hockey League at any time, and now we put Kevan Miller back in, we'll adjust the pairs for what best suits us, but we've got six guys that we're real comfortable with tonight and that's what you need to win."

Carlo, who played one of his better games of the season against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at Bell Centre, will be reunited with Chara. The two were a pair during Carlo's rookie year last season and he produced well in that top-pairing role. This season, Cassidy thought it best to separate the pair, which would allow Carlo to continue his development without Chara.

"It's important that he's playing with confidence," Cassidy said of Carlo. "He's still a young guy and we forget that sometimes. He's only a second-year pro and has played (127) pro games, but he's still a relatively inexperience player in the National Hockey League. So, he's going to have some ups and downs and we don't want it to affect him too much."

Cassidy's message to Carlo was simple: play a simple game, make a good first pass, defend well, play hard and live with the results.

"That's what we expect of him," Cassidy said.

McAvoy is also a major component on the power play, so without his services, Cassidy will likely go with two, four-forward groups on the man-advantage. The first unit will consist of Torey Krug, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner, while the second unit will be David Krejci, David Backes, Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Grzelcyk.

"We're comfortable with that," Cassidy said.

Carlo has dealt with inconsistency this season, but his confidence is starting to build 45 games into the season.

"I feel like I had one of my better games (against Montreal) and it was just about moving my feet and having fun," Carlo said. "Sometimes you get away from the aspect that it's a hockey game and you want to go out there and play the same game you've been playing since you were 5-years-old. I'm just really trying to appreciate it and live in the moment a little bit more. I'm blessed to be here, trying to have fun and do my best every day.

"It'll be great (playing with Chara again). We had great chemistry last year and did strong on the defensive aspect of things, so I feel like we can find that same rhythm again tonight. It's a great opportunity for me again and ultimately I just want to fill the shoes of Charlie."

Masked man: Tuukka Rask will start against the Devils tonight, and it's possible he'll get the nod on Thursday against the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa since the All-Star break is this weekend. He's riding a career-best 16-game point streak with a 14-0-2 record in this span. In his last 20 games, he has a 1.61 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. He's 5-4-2 with a 1.56 GAA and a .944 SP in 12 career games against the Devils.