The Boston Bruins' playoff exit just got a little more painful. Star defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been handed a six-game suspension for a violent slash on Buffalo Sabres left winger Zach Benson during Game 6 of their first-round series—a penalty that will carry over into the start of the 2026-27 regular season.

The incident occurred late in what became the Bruins' elimination game, with the Sabres holding a commanding 4-1 lead. As both players raced for an icing call, Benson's skate clipped McAvoy, sending the Boston blueliner crashing hard into the boards. Benson was assessed a minor penalty for tripping, but McAvoy wasn't done.

Furious and seeking retribution, McAvoy got to his feet, tracked down Benson, and delivered a two-handed slash directly to the winger's arm. The NHL's Department of Player Safety was unequivocal in its ruling, releasing a video explainer that described the play in stark terms: "McAvoy charges toward Benson, who is skating in the other direction, chokes up, raises his stick over his head with both hands, and swings his stick violently at Benson, striking him in the arm. This is slashing."

The league emphasized that the slash occurred well after the play had ended and at a point when both the game and the series were effectively decided. "Players are not excused from illegal acts just because of a prior foul by an opponent," the NHL noted. "McAvoy travels some distance to purposefully track down an opponent and seek retribution by using his stick as a weapon."

This isn't McAvoy's first trip to the league's disciplinary office. The 28-year-old, now entering his tenth NHL season, has been suspended twice before and fined once over his career. For a Bruins team already facing a busy offseason of retooling after a promising bounce-back season ended in disappointment, losing their top defenseman for the first six games of next year is a significant blow.