There’s always a little question as to how a returning key player is going to work re-entering a lineup that’s been on a roll as the Boston Bruins had been in the previous two wins prior to Charlie McAvoy’s first game back.
There were no questions afterward, as McAvoy enjoyed a highly successful return to the B’s lineup in a 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center on Tuesday night. The B’s No. 1 defenseman scored a goal in 24-plus minutes of ice time, had a highly effective time paired with Hampus Lindholm in a top-loaded twosome, and showed some really good restraint late in the second period in a D-zone skirmish with Mack Celebrini that led directly to a backbreaking goal for the Black and Gold in the win.
This basically happened because Charlie McAvoy didn’t retaliate against Macklin Celebrini https://t.co/SBYIRs2S6Y
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) October 14, 2026
Things turned nasty late in the second period as Jacob Trouba went after Fraser Minten as he was digging for a loose puck at the net front, and then Nikita Zadorov and McAvoy returned the favor with rough play aimed at Mason Marchment and Mack Celebrini. Celebrini respectively. McAvoy got locked into a fierce battle in the closing seconds of the period with the Sharks franchise player, and McAvoy stuck to hard, clean hockey as the B’s broke puck out with Morgan Geekie eventually feeding Pavel Zacha for a sniped goal with three seconds left on the clock.
It was exactly the kind of mix of nastiness, menacing defense and composure that McAvoy exhibits when he’s at his best, and it helped the Bruins win their third straight game while kicking off a long West Coast trip the right way.
McAvoy also reclaimed the quarterback helm on the top B’s power play unit that went 0-for-2 in the game, but looked solid in terms of puck movement and strong chemistry with creative offensive players rotating around to different spots on the PP. The whole performance was vintage McAvoy and clearly showed how high his individual anticipation to play while he stuck in the press box watching the first six games of the season due to his stick-swinging suspension from last year’s playoffs.
“It was just fun to be playing again,” said McAvoy, who scored his first goal of the season crashing the net to put home a deflected pass from JJ Peterka. “I thought that was a big boy shift by us [in the first period]. We were holding onto the puck, and we talked about doing that before the game because they’re a man-on-man defensive team.
“I thought the first couple of shifts were just trying to get a battle in. It was little things just trying to remember where you need to be on the ice. I thought that I got better as the game went on. To start the year 5-2-0 is great. I was so proud of the guys. They had some really great games while I was out. You’re itching [to return] but you see the group having fun and playing the right way, and it makes it even easier to come back and just join the fray because they aren’t struggling, they’re playing their game.”
Needless to say, Marco Sturm was impressed with McAvoy’s immediate impact in victory while essentially joining a moving train after the Bruins had played a handful of strong games this season.
“Incredible. Incredible. I was almost a little worried because he was so excited…it was almost too excited,” said a smiling Sturm. “But the way he played was unbelievable. Very calm and in control all the time. Making plays and always in the right spot. We’re just lucky to have him but the way he played today was very impressive.”
It will be interesting to see how the Bruins balance things with the defensemen now that McAvoy is back in the fold. Jonathan Aspirot has been a healthy scratch for the last handful of games with rookie Frederic Brunet in the lineup and playing well, and Connor Clifton was the odd man out on Tuesday against the Sharks as a healthy scratch.
Based on how everybody looked against San Jose in a solid victory, it’s going to be difficult to change the blueline group until the B’s coaching staff is forced to.
“These are tough choices. Not only because some guys aren’t playing well because that’s not the truth. I think all of the guys were playing well. Sometimes it goes by [being right-handed or left-handed] or by feeling,” said Sturm prior to Tuesday’s win. “We just have to figure out what we’re going to do moving forward after we see how things go [in San Jose]. I don’t know what’s going to happen and it’s a long road trip, so we might need all of the [defensemen] at some point.”
Unfortunately, the Bruins likely won’t be as