Bruins

Watch: Bruins Charlie McAvoy prevents a goal with a save behind Jeremy Swayman

Charlie McAvoy earned a goalie hug from Jeremy Swayman on Wednesday night.

By Conor Ryan

December 27, 2023

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The Bruins already boast an elite goaltending duo between Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.

But Charlie McAvoy may not be a bad backup option between the pipes.

The 26-year-old defenseman’s shifts are usually punctuated with bone-crunching checks, power-play reps along the offensive blue line, and taxing minutes in Boston’s own zone.

But McAvoy made a quick cameo as a goalie during Boston’s road win against the Sabres on Wednesday, robbing a Buffalo tally with a clutch goal-line save behind Swayman.

With Boston already holding onto a 3-0 lead near the midway point of the second period, Sabres forward Dylan Cozens uncorked a slap shot that ricocheted off of Swayman’s blocker.

But rather than getting punched out toward the slot, Cozen’s blast bounced up and behind Swayman. Before tumbling into Boston’s net, McAvoy bailed out the B’s netminder, knocking the fluttering biscuit out of the air with his stick blade to keep Buffalo off the board.

You can watch McAvoy’s impressive hand-eye coordination below:

McAvoy’s efforts were not lost on Swayman, who gave his defenseman an impromptu goalie hug during a stoppage in play.

The Bruins, who entered Wednesday’s game against Buffalo in the midst of a four-game losing streak, responded in impressive fashion after their holiday break.

Boston closed out Wednesday’s game with a 4-1 victory over Buffalo, improving to 20-7-6 on the season. Swayman stopped 25 of 26 saves in the win, while Charlie Coyle scored twice on the power play.