Carlo out of Z’s shadow
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
NEW YORK — Playing with Zdeno Chara can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’re facing the opponent’s top lines every night, a difficult challenge. On the other, you get to play with a 6-foot-9 security blanket who covers up a lot of mistakes and likely is headed to the Hall of Fame.
While Charlie McAvoy is being shepherded this year by Chara, Brandon Carlo played with the captain almost exclusively last season. But recently he’s been playing with Torey Krug, perhaps the exact opposite player from Chara in size and style. And the 20-yearold Carlo is doing well away from his mentor. At plus6, Carlo is one of only five Bruins players with a positive rating after last night’s 4-2 loss to the Rangers.
He had a rough game Oct. 21 against the Sabres, but he’s been solid since, compiling a plus-6 rating in his past seven games. His plus-6 is second on the team to Chara’s plus-8.
“He should look at it as a compliment that he’s now on his own a little bit and bringing something to a different pair,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He had his tutelage under Z, and they’ll still be paired up from time to time. In general, it could seem like a demotion going from the first pair to the second, but I don’t think his minutes (19 per game) are that far off from where they were. His role certainly isn’t. He’s a big part of our (penalty kill), and he and Torey now have started to develop a chemistry, similar to Z and Charlie, just on opposite sides. So that’s a good thing for us.”
Carlo indeed has taken the move as a positive.
“I think it’s been really good so far. The aspect of (Krug) being more of an offensive guy is a really good complement for my defensive game,” Carlo said. “It’s been really fun playing with him. He’s a good option for me on most of the breakouts to move the puck to. I know he’s always going to be in those right positions.
McAvoy at home
Last night was a homecoming for rookie Charlie McAvoy, who grew up in Long Beach, N.Y.
“It’s going to be really special. It’s a game that I’ve really been looking forward to. My freshman year at BU, I had a chance to play here, and that was a very good memory for me,” said McAvoy, who had friends and family in attendance. “The support’s been awesome . . . . It means a lot to me when you get those texts and see everyone is cheering for me. A lot of Rangers fans turned Bruins fans tonight, which I appreciate.”
McAvoy was on the ice for the Rangers’ first goal by Pavel Buchnevich and Rick Nash’s empty-netter, not exactly the performance he had in mind.
Irish eyes smile
There has been no confirmation from the NHL about the Barstool Sports report that the Bruins will play the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium in the 2019 Winter Classic, but it’s certainly a cool idea. The league has been trying to give the Blackhawks a game at Notre Dame for years.
One player who’d like to see it happen is the B’s Anders Bjork, a former Fighting Irish forward.
“For a football game, it’s pretty cool,” Bjork said.
Acciari close
Noel Acciari (finger) didn’t play last night but could be ready for tomorrow’s game in Toronto . . . .
Austin Czarnik (minus-2) played a team-low 7:22 . . . .
Chara played his 834th game with the B’s, surpassing Dit Clapper for fourthmost in team history by a defenseman.