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Charlie McAvoys injury diminishes Bruins already short-handed defense: Awful to poor

BOSTON — Don Sweeney did not like what he was watching. After the Boston Bruins allowed their second goal to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, the general manager ducked out of his ninth-floor TD Garden perch. As he walked down the hallway, Sweeney slam-dunked his empty water bottle into a nearby trash can.

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Jim Montgomery was probably feeling the same way.

“I expected us to get better every period,” the Bruins coach, following his team’s 3-1 loss, said of a pan-flat start. “We went from awful to poor. Never really got to average.”

David Pastrnak landed a game-high eight pucks on net. Hampus Lindholm led the Bruins with 26:02 of ice time. Linus Ullmark was airtight in the first period, when the Sabres held a 19-5 shot advantage.

But none of Montgomery’s players made enough of an impression worthy of postgame merit on a night when the Bruins also lost Charlie McAvoy to injury. In fact, Montgomery was afraid a decaf night was coming. 

On Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena, Montgomery was so discouraged with the lack of pace and effort in practice that he paused the session during a two-on-two drill. He forcefully demonstrated to his defensemen how to box out and get under opposing sticks. Then, with a curse mixed in, Montgomery told his players, who were last on the ice on Dec. 3, what he thought about their performance following the two-day breather.

“We just didn’t have any energy or life to us,” Montgomery said. “I’ve got to take responsibility for the lack of us having that. The preparation clearly was incorrect.”

The Sabres were coming off a 5-3 thud against the Detroit Red Wings. They were without Rasmus Dahlin, their blossoming 200-foot defenseman. Former Northeastern University puck-stopper Devon Levi, chased from his last outing against the Bruins, was in net for the first time since being recalled from the AHL on Tuesday. They were incorporating Eric Robinson, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

For all that, the Sabres were in command the entire night. Levi looked like a legitimate NHL goalie. J.J. Peterka gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead in the second period by snapping a 33-footer past Ullmark. Tage Thompson made it a 2-0 game after Lindholm’s clearing attempt was picked off by ex-teammate Connor Clifton.

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The Bruins were tagged with only six giveaways. They were handing pucks over all game.

Part of that may have been expected. The Bruins were without Derek Forbort, placed on long-term injured reserve earlier in the day because of a nagging groin injury. Forbort will not be eligible to play until Dec. 31.

The defensive-minded Forbort plays a simple style on the No. 3 pairing. But Forbort has been a dependable presence. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins have outscored opponents during five-on-five play at a 16-7 pace with Forbort on the ice. Only Brandon Carlo’s 72.0 percent goals-for share is higher among team defensemen than Forbort’s 69.57 GF%.

The Bruins recalled Mason Lohrei from Providence to replace Forbort next to Kevin Shattenkirk. The 22-year-old rookie is not as polished of a defender. When Matt Grzelcyk was activated from LTIR, the Bruins sent Lohrei to Providence with the mandate to work on his defending.

“Moving pucks quick,” Lohrei said of what he wants to accomplish during his latest varsity tour. “Defending. Closing hard. Being hard to play against. And then trying to use my skill offensively whenever the opportunities present.”

The blue line was further compromised early in the third period. As he approached Peterka, McAvoy took a reverse hit from the Buffalo forward. McAvoy appeared dazed after the impact. He sat on the bench for several minutes under the watch of head physical therapist Joe Robinson. McAvoy then went to the dressing room. He did not return.

“Obviously a huge loss,” Lohrei said. “He’s one of our best players and one of the best defensemen in the league. So that sucks. But it’s part of the game. We’ve got to rally together and finish out the game.”

While Lohrei was back in, fellow rookie Matt Poitras was a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career. Morgan Geekie took Poitras’ spot between James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic. 

It was a planned absence. The Bruins want to optimize Poitras’ recovery as he adjusts from OHL star to a teenager amid the NHL’s pace and physicality. Poitras will be back in on Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes.

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“It’s an opportunity for him to build some strength and rest into his program,” said Montgomery. “It’s a grind. It’s a tough league. This is a way we think he can help the Bruins the most and help his game the most.”

(Photo of Charlie McAvoy: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)

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