It’s fair to assume that young players beginning in the NHL will make a few mistakes, but it’s something you don’t see from the veterans often.
For the Boston Bruins, though, it was the vets making rookie errors Thursday night in their loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden.
David Pastrnak had a rough game as he registered just one shot and had a costly turnover that led to Pittsburgh’s third goal.
But for head coach Bruce Cassidy, he’s not mad, he’s disappointed. It’s the younger core he gets frustrated with.
“I’m not frustrated with those (veteran) guys, I’m disappointed that they don’t recognize the value of the puck and where we are in the game, and they haven’t stepped up a little more.” Cassidy said after the game. “I get frustrated with the younger guys that make the same mistakes, or can’t get their shot through from the point. … That’s just a learning curve for some of them. And some of them will learn it and be better off for it. Some won’t and they won’t be here. That’s not unique to our team. Every young guy that comes into this league has to figure it out, find a way. We’re here to help them, and eventually you make a decision with them. So there’s no frustration with the older guys, they know what’s at stake. They’ve been to Stanley Cup Finals, they know the way the game’s played. They just need to respect it and play that way. My job is to get that message through and get them to understand. Their job is to understand they’re leaders of this hockey club, and they should know better.”
We’ll see if the message gets across Saturday when the Bruins have a rematch with Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. ET.
