After David Pastrnak returned to the lineup on Tuesday in St. Louis after missing five games, it appears that Charlie McAvoy will be back in a Bruins uniform on Thursday in Winnipeg after he had missed 11 games.
The Bruins announced that they had activated McAvoy from injured reserve on Thursday afternoon, making him eligible to suit up for the first time since he suffered a broken jaw from a slap shot on Nov. 15 in Montreal.
Thanks to the liquid diet that was required of him after he suffered the injury, McAvoy had dropped 20 pounds. But he’s been regaining the weight day-by-day and, along with it, his strength.
“It’s definitely getting better. I’m able to do more so you’re able to work on your conditioning and get that part back. But whenever it is, the best way to get conditioning back is to just play in the game. I think that’s coming soon,” McAvoy told reporters after the morning skate in Winnipeg.
The obstacles he’s faced have been physical, but he said that the psychological part of the return isn’t bothering him.
“I’ve played with a bubble before, I’ve got plates in my jaw and so I think I’m protected pretty well. So we’ll see what happens whenever it happens. Maybe it will be a little shock at first but then it’s just hockey,” said McAvoy.
