Bruins' Charlie McAvoy Suspended 1 Game for Illegal Hit to Head of Josh Anderson

During Monday night's Game 6 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy controversially only received a two-minute penalty for an illegal check to the head of Josh Anderson. 

However, on Tuesday, the NHL compounded the initially light discipline by announcing McAvoy has been suspended for one game for the check. 

The 21-year-old second-year Bruin downplayed his hit following his team's victory. 

"It was a hockey play," he said, according to Tommy McArdle of Boston.com. "I tried to finish my check in a legal manner. I was penalized two minutes, and I served it, and I just came back and tried to be an impactful player."

While the city of Columbus as a whole may not forgive McAvoy any time soon, it appeared as if Anderson had already put it behind him when the 25-year-old forward flashed McAvoy a smile while both teams shook hands (h/t John Buccigross):

Columbus head coach John Tortorella declined to comment on the incident while meeting with reporters after his team's 2018-19 season came to an end. "I'm not going to discuss that," he said, per FOX Sports Ohio (h/t NESN). "It's a huge moment, but I'm not going to discuss what was told to me [by the referees]."

Nick Foligno, the team's captain, also held back:

Anderson and the Blue Jackets will marinate more over allowing Boston to win three in a row after leading the series 2-1. 

McAvoy will miss Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, as the Bruins defeated the Blue Jackets 3-0 to close out their semifinal series Monday night.