Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy exits game against Canadiens after receiving shot to face

MONTREAL — Boston Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy exited midway through the second period of Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens after receiving a slap shot from Noah Dobson to the face.

The incident occurred at 11:01 with the Canadiens on a power play. Dobson’s one-timer appeared to deflect off Boston forward Mark Kastelic before hitting McAvoy’s mouth area.

Head coach Marco Sturm said after the game that McAvoy was “doing OK” and undergoing testing.

“Try to get him home as soon as possible, hopefully tonight with us, but other than that, hopefully he will be OK,” said Sturm, who did not know if McAvoy was at the hospital.

McAvoy immediately covered his face and dropped to the ice after the shot, while a team doctor rushed from the bench to help him.

The 27-year-old American then hurried to the dressing room after bleeding on the ice. Teammate Nikita Zadorov was seen trying to retrieve lost teeth after the play.

“Praying for him (that) everything’s going to be fine,” said Bruins forward David Pastrnak. “I haven’t heard anything yet. Hopefully he’s going to be all right. It’s a tough break, so a very tough moment.”

Canadiens forward Cole Caufield was standing next to McAvoy when the defenceman fell to the ice.

“It’s terrible,” Caufield said. “It’s a very scary part of the game, and I just really hope he’s OK. That was tough to see, and I wish him the best.”

McAvoy led the Bruins with a 24:20 average ice time heading into Saturday’s game. The Bruins led 2-1 at the time of his departure.

“We said it between periods, we want to do it for him because he’s such a big, important piece for our team,” Sturm said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2025.