With McAvoy in, Moore is odd man out
TORONTO — With the return of a healthy Charlie McAvoy for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a defenseman who deserved to be playing was going to find himself as a healthy scratch. There was no getting around that fact.
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
And John More happened to be the guy who drew the short straw. Moore, who was signed last summer to a five-year deal worth $2.75 million per season and has been a solid player for the Bruins, took the news like a pro. “It sucks not playing, but it’s not about me, and I’m not going to make this about me. I’m going to be ready when the team needs me, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s all about the team,” Moore said. “And you look at the way the season has unfolded so far, we’ve needed everyone, and we’re going to need everyone. We’ve got eight really good (defensemen) who can all play in this league. It doesn’t affect my approach and my habits and the way I’m approaching this game. I’m trying to learn and work and get better every day.” Moore has been the player the B’s expected him to be when they signed him, and maybe a little bit more. His strong skating abilities make him an asset in puck retrieval, and he’s also shown some versatility in playing the right side for the B’s, who are overloaded with left-handed blueliners. “I’ve felt good,” Moore said. “If you would have told me before the year that I’d be mostly on the right side, I might have raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t had much success, and I hadn’t really tried it too much in my career. And I felt like I’ve gotten better. I feel pretty comfortable on the right side. The choice on whom to scratch for coach Bruce Cassidy came down to Moore or Matt Grzelcyk. “It wasn’t easy, and it’s one game,” Cassidy said. “We’ll worry about Monday (against the Canadiens) on Monday. But Johnny’s played well for us. We just have seven what we think are good, healthy defesnemen, and someone had to sit.”
Welcome back
McAvoy returned to the lineup after missing seven games because of an infection in his foot as a result of blocking a shot. He’d been limited to just 17 games this season because of that injury and a concussion that kept him out nearly two months. The last time B’s played the Leafs was in Boston in Dec. 8, which was McAvoy’s second game back from the concussion. In that game, Zach Hyman hit McAvoy high and late in the latter stages of a Bruins blowout win. The hit, which sent McAvoy to the quiet room before he returned to the bench, earned Hyman a two-game suspension. Payback seemed to be the furthest thing from McAvoy’s mind. “We play each other hard every single time we play. It’s an emotional game, and obviously we had a very emotional playoff series last year. I don’ really think that hit changes much,” McAvoy said after the morning skate. “He just got caught up in the emotion of playing hockey. It’s an emotional game. “I try to play with that same fire, that same emotion. I know in here, we’re always excited when we play these guys in their building. The league dealt with that hit the way that they did. That hit was a couple of months ago now, and I jut can’t wait to get back out there and play hockey.”
Net loss
Leafs goalie Fredrick Andersen missed his eighth straight game because of a groin injury, and former Bruins farmhand Michael Hutchinson, acquired in a trade with Florida, got the nod against his former team. Hutchinson entered 2-1-1 against the B’s with a .940 save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against average.