BOSTON, MA - MAY 01: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins picks up the puck during game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres on May 1, 2026, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

'A little too far': McAvoy ejected for vicious slash on Benson late in Game 6

15 hours ago

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for slashing Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson late in Game 6 on Friday.

McAvoy retaliated after Benson took him down during a race for a loose puck. Benson was given a tripping minor.

At the end of the third period, Charlie McAvoy swung his stick at Zach Benson after Benson took him down 😳 pic.twitter.com/8NHny8nwlZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 2, 2026

Slashing majors automatically result in game misconducts. If McAvoy faces supplemental discipline, a suspension would carry over to the start of next season, as the Bruins were eliminated with the 4-1 loss.

"You don't want to see the last play of the game. You don't want to see a guy take a chop like that at somebody else. I think he feels that Benson tripped him on the play or took his feet out from underneath him," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said after the game, according to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

"I'm just going to say (it was) raw emotion," Ruff added. "Charlie's a hell of a player. Cares about winning. Anybody would want Charlie on his team. Probably went a little too far though."

McAvoy has been suspended twice in his career, both for illegal hits to the head. The Bruins' top defender struggled in the playoffs, going minus-6 in the series while adding two assists.