Charlie McAvoy Misses Monday's Morning Skate

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy was absent from today's morning skate as he was attending a doctor's appointment that had been for some time, according to head coach Bruce Cassidy.  Even though this sounds like a simple reason, Cassidy did not rule out McAvoy missing the contest against the Devils.

McAvoy has not showed signs of any kind of ailment lately. He played nearly 24 minutes in Saturday night's win at the Montreal Canadiens and was even spotted with some of his teammates at the AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Here is how the defensive pairings looked in his absence:

Zdeno Chara - Brandon Carlo

Torey Krug - Adam McQuaid

Matt Grzelcyk - Kevan Miller