David Pastrnak scored the overtime, game-winning goal Saturday night at TD Garden to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7.
David Pastrnak scored the overtime, game-winning goal Saturday night at TD Garden to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7.
Jim Montgomery had one message for David Pastrnak following the Boston Bruins’ Game 6 loss: “Step up.”
That he did.
Pastrnak picked up the puck from a dump-in off the end boards by Hampus Lindholm, settled the rubber while crashing to the slot and backhanded it past Ilya Samsonov at 1:54 of overtime. The forward sealed the 2-1, series-clinching win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 Saturday night at TD Garden. Pastnrak stepped up.
“Huge moment, obviously. Lots of excitement, and you could say a little relief as well,” Pastrnak said Saturday. “It was a tight-checking game, so it was nice to get it and the happiness from the group. Sticking together the whole series was unbelievable and couldn’t be more proud of ourselves.”
Compared to the 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) that Pastrnak put up in the regular season, he was quiet in the first-round series. Coming into Saturday’s elimination matchup, the assistant captain had four points (two goals, two assists) in six games.
Through 21:21 of total ice time on the second line with Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie in Game 7, Pastrnak registered four shots, two hits and further etched himself into the Bruins’ history books with the overtime winner.
“He’s our star player. There’s a lot of pressure when you’re a player like him,” Lindholm said Saturday of Pastrnak. “But the way he carries himself, the way he comes to the rink and works everyday – the stuff that fans and you guys don’t see – it’s so fun to see a guy like that succeed.”
Pastrnak, evidently, holds himself to a certain standard. It’s what has allowed him to have such success in the NHL. Accordingly, Montgomery’s message did not bother Pastrnak. Rather, he understood the sentiment and agreed with it.
“He said the stuff he did after Game 6 and I told him, ‘If I’m the coach and you were me, I would say the same thing,’” Pastrnak said. “I had no problem with him saying that. He’s trying to bring the best out of every single player and he expects more.”
Pastrnak pulled through when his team needed him the most, but the 60 minutes leading up to the goal were not wholly perfect from Boston.
The Bruins put together a much stronger first period than their starts in Game 5 and 6. They held possession in the offensive zone, threw the body around and led 11-9 in shots on goal after registering just one through 20 minutes on Thursday.
The second period was not good. As he’s done all series – and season – Jeremy Swayman acted as a lifeline for his team as Toronto made a heavy push. The Bruins had two opportunities on the power play but squandered both, and gave up short-handed, odd-man rushes the other way.
“He was our best player of the series, it’s not close,” Montgomery said of Swayman. “His confidence and his swagger, I think it permeated through the group. Took a while, but it got there.”
Toronto got on the board first in the third period. Brandon Carlo lost the puck to Tyler Bertuzzi along the boards who then chipped it to Auston Matthews by the right circle. Matthews hit William Nylander tape-to-tape, and he one-timed it past Swayman for his third goal in two games and the 1-0 lead at 9:01.
Lindholm found the 1-1 equalizer just over a minute later. Justin Brazeau’s shot from the slot bounced over the top of the net and popped over to James van Riemsdyk below the goal line. The veteran forward backhanded it to Lindholm by the left face-off dot who wristed it home at 10:22. The tally came on Lindholm’s team-leading sixth shot on goal of the night.
“Just trying to get pucks to the net,” Lindholm said. “I think I’ve been a little holding onto pucks, making it a little too hard for myself. You just try to find that little opening and just get it there and good things usually happen.”
Lindholm collected his second point of the game – and first multi-point performance since March 9 – with the primary assist on Pastrnak’s game-winner.
“Hampus was assertive tonight. He played on his toes,” Montgomery said. “He’s such a good defender, and then you saw the poise.”
The Bruins secured themselves a spot in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and will face off against the Florida Panthers for Game 1 Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
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