David Pastrnak ‘Super Proud’ Of Bruins Despite Playoff Exit

BOSTON — The Bruins couldn’t surpass the Panthers for a second straight year in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the locker room isn’t viewing the season as a complete loss.

Florida got the best of Boston, but the Bruins fought until the end, forcing a Game 6 at TD Garden after falling into a 3-1 series deficit. Regardless of how confident the Panthers were — or may have been — the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup ended on a competitive note, which Bruins star David Pastrnak felt was enough for the team to hold its head up high moving forward.

“I’m super proud of the group,” Pastrnak said Sunday during Boston’s end-of-the-season availability. “We got much younger. We have some experienced guys who came in and won the (Stanley) Cup and did an unbelievable job that any player could learn from. Guy grabbed the opportunity that came and did a job, so very proud. A lot of people were saying we weren’t going to make the playoffs and we’d be (in) a wild-card spot and I think we put ourselves in a good spot from going into the playoffs.”

To many, the Bruins were viewed as a team to count out from the get-go and that created a misleading narrative regarding what to expect before the season began.

Coming off a franchise record-setting 65-win season, Boston didn’t see the returns of key members from last season’s roster including Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov. It helped create some financial wiggle room for this upcoming offseason, but it also created a short-term challenge for the organization’s 2023-24 bid.

Ultimately, the outside skepticism that lingered into the season didn’t cast any self-doubt within the Bruins. Boston rolled with its young up-and-comers like Mason Lohrei and John Beecher, the team didn’t fall on its face once the postseason commenced and the offseason could welcome in some key pieces that’ll position the Bruins for an improved finish next season.

“There was a lot of tight games in the playoffs (where) we needed to score a lot more goals,” Pastrnak added. “Sometimes we made a couple of mistakes and those are our learning experiences. We just need to be able to close out the tight games and overtime and stuff like that.”

While the playoffs remain active, the Bruins have plenty of time to evaluate the team’s current roster makeup before free agency begins on July 1.