Jim Montgomery ‘Loved’ This Player In Bruins’ Win Over Toronto

The Bruins’ premier players rose to the occasion in a hostile environment Saturday night.

One of those stars was David Pastrnak, who logged a three-point evening in Toronto. Pastrnak opened the scoring at Scotiabank Arena with his 14th goal of the season and assisted on two other Boston tallies, including Brad Marchand’s winner in overtime.

Pastrnak’s performance against the rival Maple Leafs drew a rave review from Jim Montgomery, and the head coach’s praise wasn’t limited to what the star winger did on the ice.

“I loved 88 tonight,” Montgomery told reporters, per the team. “You’re trying to balance how much you play him with getting other people on the ice as well. That’s the tough part.

“On the bench, he’s much more talkative. He’s much more positive on the bench. Last year he didn’t concern himself with having to do that with so many other great leaders. He’s grown like that and he’s also grown in his playmaking.”

Pastrnak will try to put forth another highly impactful outing Sunday night when the Bruins play the second leg of a back-to-back at TD Garden. NESN’s complete coverage of the tilt with the Columbus Blue Jackets begins at 6 p.m. ET.