On Nov. 15, a puck hit Boston Bruins D-man Charlie McAvoy in the face, requiring surgery. On Dec. 11, the Bruins activated him from the injured reserve.
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is returning to action.
The Bruins activated McAvoy from the injured reserve on Thursday, less than one month after a puck hit him in the face on Nov. 15.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson took a slapshot, which hit McAvoy on the left side of the face. McAvoy suffered a linear fracture of his jaw that caused some displacement and "a lot" of lost teeth. He needed facial surgery as a result.
Nearly four weeks later, McAvoy was labelled a game-time decision for Thursday's matchup against the Winnipeg Jets.
"Today felt good," McAvoy told reporters in Winnipeg after the morning skate. "We just will monitor it throughout the day."
McAvoy said he's been on a liquid diet, which was supposed to last for six weeks, and he lost 20 pounds.
"The diet, that's the toughest part, is just trying to get what you need without being able to eat solid food," McAvoy told reporters on Dec. 6. "I lost a lot of weight, but working my way back now."
But on Thursday, he said he's been able to work on his conditioning in practice.
"The best way to get conditioning back is to just play in the game," McAvoy said.
The Bruins have gone 6-5-0 without their alternate captain and sit third in the Atlantic Division with an 18-13-0 record.
If McAvoy returns Thursday, he can build on his 14 assists in 19 games this season. He's averaged 23:46 of ice time and logged 26 shots and 32 blocked shots.
The 27-year-old missed 32 games last season after a shoulder injury led to a staph infection at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He's also one of six players already named to Team USA's roster for the 2026 Olympics.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.