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Charlie McAvoy returning to Bruins lineup Thursday night vs. Jets

Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo on Charlie McAvoy's return, team's up-and-down season so far
Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo on Charlie McAvoy's return, team's up-and-down season so far 01:40

BOSTON -- The Bruins will get a boost on their blue line on Thursday night, as defenseman Charlie McAvoy will rejoin the lineup when Boston hosts the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden.

Interim head coach Joe Sacco announced after Thursday's morning skate that McAvoy will return against the Jets after missing the last seven games with an upper-body injury. The Bruins went 4-2-1 in his absence, but could certainly use some help on the defensive end.

Boston allowed 17 goals in its two regulation losses and a shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators with McAvoy out of the lineup. The team surrendered an average of 34 shots per game over the last seven games, including two games when the opposition put more than 40 shots on net.

McAvoy was a full participant in practice on Monday and said Wednesday that he's been skating every day since he got hurt. He hopes that his return to the lineup will make an immediate impact on the Bruins and the team's defense. 

"That's what we're hoping for," McAvoy said. "Whenever you're not full strength you have it in the back of your mind. You don't wanna focus on it. Obviously, it's next man up. But when a team is shorthanded a bit, it doesn't help anything. I'm excited to get back."

McAvoy skated alongside Mason Lohrei on Boston's top defensive pairing Thursday morning. Sacco announced that Brandon Carlo, who missed Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres with an illness, will also be back in the lineup Thursday night. Carlo skated alongside Parker Wotherspoon on Boston's second defensive line.

But the Bruins still won't have defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who is set to miss 35th straight game since taking a puck off his knee back on Nov. 12. Lindholm has also been participating in practice, but isn't ready for a return just yet.

The Bruins are 25-21-6 heading into Thursday night's game and are currently the top Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference, though they have played at least two more games compared to the team's trailing them in the standings. Winnipeg is the top team in the Western Conference at 35-14-3 on the season and has won four straight. 

Charlie McAvoy's 2024-25 season

McAvoy has had a bit of a down year, and is a plus-2 over his 45 games for Boston this season. He's scored five goals to go with 15 assists, and leads the team at 23:41 of total ice time per game. He's also a big part of Boston's power play, ranking second on the team at 3:23 of power-play action per game, second only to David Pastrnak and his 3:44 of power-play time per night. 

McAvoy's return on Thursday night will be his first game since he and his wife, Kiley, welcomed their new son, Rhys Michael, early Sunday morning.

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