Boston D McAvoy suspended 4 matches for head hit

Boston Bruins player Charlie McAvoy has been suspended 4 matches for an illegal hit to the head on Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Florida Panthers.

Boston’s Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for four games for an Illegal Check to the Head on Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Per @NHLPlayerSafety pic.twitter.com/el8lOEY8M3

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2023

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The incident happened on Monday when the Bruins defenceman caught a Panthers player’s head with his shoulder in front of Florida’s net more than a 1 second after Oliver had played the puck during the 3^rd period with the match being 1-1.

Charlie got a match penalty for the hit, and Boston killed off the 5-minute major, eventually triumphing 3-2 after an OT to improve to 8-0-1 since the beginning of the campaign. The Panthers player did not return to the ice after the hit.

McAvoy’s lone career suspension happened during the postseason in 2019 when he got a 1-match ban for again hit to the head, but the Bruins defenceman is not considered a repeat offender by the NHL.