The Boston Bruins dropped the first two games at the rookie camp tournament in Antioch, Tenn., but they came away with a win in their finale Tuesday, defeating the Nashville Predators 4-2.
Seth Griffith snuck the puck past Marek Mazanec to open the scoring in the first period before first-round draft pick David Pastrnak potted his first goal as a Bruin in camp, going top shelf. Alex Fallstrom and Brian Ferlin each added a goal, and Malcolm Subban made 23 saves in net, the Boston Herald reported.
Providence Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told the Herald that he was encouraged by what he saw from Pastranak, who impressed throughout the tournament.
“Clearly he’s got some dynamic ability in that one-on-one, too, so you want to encourage that within the framework of what we do,” Cassidy said, per the Herald. “He shot the puck well, it didn’t always get through. But he had it a lot, and I always think when you have it a lot, they’re playing well. It’s just some nights you finish, some nights you don’t.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien, who flew back to Boston for Tuesday’s golf tournament, also was pleased with the play from the youngsters, adding that he has a better idea of what to expect heading into training camp, which opens Thursday.
âI was there for the first two games, and it gives me an idea on what to expect from some of the guys that will be in the main camp,â Julien told CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty at the golf tourney. âItâs good for guys like Pastrnak getting used to North American hockey. There was a lot of hitting going on, and that gives him a better feel for what to expect.â
Team scouts and officials voted Pastrnak and Bruins defenseman Chris Casto to the six-player all-tournament team. Nashville’s Filip Forsberg was voted MVP.
Poto via Twitter/@NHLBruins
