Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for six games in 2026-27 for slashing Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson at the end of Game 6 in the teams’ first-round series. McAvoy participated in an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Monday in New York.
McAvoy was retaliating after being tripped by Benson at 18:29 of the third period while going back for the puck on an icing call. After he got to his skates, McAvoy pursued Benson and delivered a two-handed slash. McAvoy was called for a five-minute slashing major and a game misconduct. Benson was given a tripping minor.
“Obviously bothered me,” Nikita Zadorov said. “One of our best players gets slew-footed like that. Not sure if that guy did it on purpose or not on purpose, but it’s still a dirty play, and our player could have gotten hurt.”
The suspension will cost McAvoy more than $300,000 in salary, pending any appeal. He was previously suspended for four games in 2023-24 for an illegal check to the head of then-Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
