Pastrnak’s goal-saving effort made impression on Bruins

Boston Bruins

“He’s our leader. He does everything. He wants to win.”

David Pastrnak is at his best when rifling pucks via his patented one-timer.

But on Monday, the Bruins winger was busy keeping pucks out of Boston’s net during a spirited late-game rally.

During a matinee matchup where the Bruins once trailed, 3-0, to the Lightning, Pastrnak and Boston continued to fight back, trailing 4-3 entering the final period of play.

As Boston pushed to try and secure the equalizer, Pastrnak made his presence felt down the other end of the ice.

With Joonas Korpisalo pulled for an extra skater over the closing minutes of regulation, Bolts forward Brandon Hagel had a prime opportunity to deliver the coup de grace with the puck on his stick in Boston’s zone.

But that empty-netter was negated by Pastrnak, who — manning Korpisalo’s spot in the crease — blocked Hagel’s shot to keep it a one-score game.

Tampa’s next attempt to try and ice the game saw Pastrnak do his best Nikita Zadorov impression, delivering a bone-crunching hit against Nikita Kucherov to snuff out another scoring chance.

Pastrnak’s efforts ultimately did not result in Boston securing a point at TD Garden. Tampa held on for the 4-3 victory.

But, Pastrnak’s efforts did not go unnoticed by several of his teammates. 

“You see it up and down the lineup, and when your best player is doing that kind of stuff, it’s easy to buy in,” Morgan Geekie said of Pastrnak. “And it leads to a chance at their end, and we get a five-on-three out of it. It’s great save. Wish we could put one in for him.”

Boston’s first loss of the year was a frustrating exercise for Marco Sturm and his staff, with Boston’s lax puck management in the early going putting the Bruins in a hole that was too deep to climb out of. 

Another stagnant night for the power play (0-for-5, 0-for-9 in last two games) also looms large on an afternoon where Boston’s compete level remained high — but they just couldn’t deliver a knockout punch.

But, a candid Sturm has remained resolute in his musings about the expected peaks and valleys that this team will navigate this year.

As Sturm and his staff sort through the best way to unlock scoring out of this roster, several non-negotiables need to remain intact as the team looks to carve out an identity.

The puck may not bounce Boston’s way every night, but the Bruins have the means to remain in the mix every night with a relentless approach and a willingness to outwork their opponent down both ends of the ice.

Some of that identity was put on display by Pastrnak’s efforts away from his wheelhouse Monday. 

“He’s our leader. He does everything. He wants to win,” Sturm said of Pastrnak. “He was good on the bench, but, yeah — he does everything right. We just, again, we just have to dial in on the power play. … Other than that, I can’t say anything negative on all my guys. It’s just, again, those top guys have got to come up big in big moments.”

Had the calendar been flipped to 2024-25, Monday’s start against the Lightning likely would have snowballed into a lopsided blowout.

Leaving the ice with zero points to show for it will dampen some of those silver linings.

But, as Boston tries to set a new standard across a reworked crop of skaters, Pastrnak’s plays down the stretch stood as a welcome sight at the start of this new chapter for this Original six franchise. 

“I think it starts with our leaders. [You] see Pasta playing goalie and taking runs at guys — I think it makes it pretty easy for the rest of us,” Casey Mittelstadt said. “And obviously [Charlie McAvoy], he’s a warrior out there.

“So yeah, it’s just a matter of following those guys, and [they] did a heck of a job. And from there — just play hard. We’re the Boston Bruins. I know I’m new here, but I’ve played against it plenty of times. I know what it’s like. So take pride in that and keep fighting.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.