Bruins Star David Pastrnak Makes Admission After Empty-Net Goal

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Just ask Bruins superstar David Pastrnak.

In fairness to Boston's leading goal scorer, he was both lucky and good Saturday night at TD Garden. Pastrnak netted a superb penalty-shot goal in the Bruins' win over the Detroit Red Wings, but his second lamp-lighter of the night was more of a product of good fortune.

The 27-year-old was on the ice in the closing minutes of the Original Six Matchup as the visitors tried to stage a late-game comeback with their goalie pulled. Nearing the end of his shift, Pastrnak bounced a puck off the boards only to watch it travel all the way into Detroit's net.

Pastrnak is such an elite goal-scorer that a claim of intent would have been admissible. But after Boston's seventh win of the season, Pastrnak acknowledged he was simply trying to clear the zone and grab a breather.

"I was just trying to get (the puck) out," Pastrnak told reporters, per the team. "I was there for a while, and I wanted to get a change, honestly."

The unusual goal had Pastrnak's teammates and head coach Jim Montgomery thinking the three-time All-Star was a great pool player. But as it turns out, Pastrnak actually is "terrible" at pocket billiards.

Pastrnak will try to add to his goal total Monday when the Bruins and the Florida Panthers meet for the first time since their 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff series. NESN's full coverage of the tilt at TD Garden begins at 6 p.m. ET.