Gary Bettman upholds four-game suspension for Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy

The news comes one day after the commissioner heard McAvoy’s appeal for the original decision, which was announced on Oct. 31.

McAvoy announced on Nov. 2 that he would appeal the league’s decision.

The incident happened midway through the third period of Boston’s 3-2 overtime win on Oct. 30. McAvoy ventured deep into Florida’s zone and, after Ekman-Larsson attempted to play a bouncing puck, McAvoy hammered him with a blindside hit.

The hit earned McAvoy a five-minute match penalty and a game misconduct. It drew the ire of the NHL DOPS for two reasons in this case: a) the principal point of contact was Ekman-Larsson’s head and b) the hit was late enough to qualify as interference.

The Bruins won the game 3-2 in overtime. McAvoy scored his second of the season just minutes before the incident.

The 25-year-old has been suspended once before in his career in 2019, when he received a one-game suspension for a hit to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Josh Anderson in the playoffs.

In nine games this season, McAvoy has two goals and six assists for eight points, averaging 23:53 of ice time. Now in his seventh season in the league, the 2016 first-round pick has 43 goals and 195 assists for 238 points in 389 career NHL games.

The Bruins are currently 10-1-1 and sit atop of the Eastern Conference standings. The Bruins and Panthers will face each other again on Nov. 22 in Florida.