McAvoy recovering after heart procedure, out two weeks for Bruins

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was out of the hospital and resting comfortably Tuesday after having a procedure Monday to treat an abnormal heart rhythm.
"Everything went well," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "My concern and our concern as an organization is obviously his health going forward, whatever time he needs to recover. His health is our No. 1 priority. He's doing terrific, and we'll see how he recovers from there."

Cassidy said McAvoy would be out through the All-Star break this weekend and would be evaluated next week, although the anticipated recovery time of two weeks would have him out until Feb. 6, when the Bruins visit the Detroit Red Wings.
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McAvoy, 20, experienced heart palpitations during the Bruins game Nov. 26. After being evaluated by doctors, he was diagnosed with a supraventricular tachycardia, which, in his case, was not considered to be dangerous to his health but could recur at any time and causes significant symptoms, according to a statement by Bruins internist Dr. David Finn.
To correct the issue, McAvoy opted for an ablation because of the high likelihood of recurrence.
"You never want to wish that upon anyone," Bruins defenseman
Matt Grzelcyk
said. "It's tough seeing him have to go through that, but I'm sure he'll come back strong and ready to go."

The Bruins, who are 12-0-4 in their past 16 games, will play their first game this season without McAvoy on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; SN, NESN, MSG, NHL.TV). The rookie has played 45 games after making his debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
McAvoy, playing on a pair with captain Zdeno Chara, has 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and is plus-18. McAvoy is averaging 22:49 of ice time and played 23:56 in a 4-1 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
"I assume we'll miss Charlie's puck-movement ability, his ability to play against top players, power play," Cassidy said.
Grzelcyk said, "We've got to pick up his slack. He's been awesome to start the year. It's pretty big shoes to fill, but we've just got to try to step up our games collectively, and do the best we can."
With defensemen Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller recently back from injury and illness, respectively, the Bruins can revert to the pairs they have used in the past, with Brandon Carlo playing with Chara, Torey Krug with McQuaid, and Grzelcyk with Miller.
"That's the advantage of depth at that position," Cassidy said.

Carlo, 21, had one of his best games of the season against the Canadiens.
"He's still a young guy. We forget that sometimes," Cassidy said of the second-year defenseman. "He's still [a] relatively inexperienced player at the National Hockey League in general, so he's going to have some ups and downs. We don't want it to affect him too much where he just goes out and plays and contributes every night. We try to work through it and get better.
"For him, the message is just play your game. You've played with [Chara]. You're going to play against a good line tonight. Make a good first pass. Defend well. Play hard, and live with the results."
Carlo said he has been in contact with McAvoy, offering to do some grocery shopping or pick something up for his teammate. Boston is five points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the League, with two games in hand.
"It's a great opportunity for me again," Carlo said. "Ultimately I just want to fill the shoes of Charlie."