David Pastrnak’s Fight Could Be Springboard For Bruins, Himself

A week ago, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery laid his cards on the table when it came to the play of David Pastrnak.

“Pasta needs to step up,” Montgomery said after a Game 6 loss to the Maple Leafs.

The Bruins superstar winger did just that in Game 7 of Boston’s Stanley Cup playoffs first-round series against Toronto, scoring the overtime winner to send the Black and Gold onto the second round.

After Game 2 vs. Florida, Montgomery shared another strong Pastrnak opinion.

“What I’m really proud of, is I’m proud of Pasta,” Montgomery told reporters Wednesday night.

Quite a difference.

Pastrnak has gotten about as much credit as any player ever has following a game his team lost 6-1. The Panthers, after getting smoked in Game 1 by the Bruins, bounced back with a dominant effort Wednesday night. That kind of got lost in the shuffle, though, thanks to Pastrnak’s decision to drop the gloves with Matthew Tkachuk in the waning minutes of the third period.

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It’s obvious what Pastrnak was trying to do. He was trying to send a message to his teammates, to the Panthers, and perhaps even to himself. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win hockey games in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. It’s pretty cool stuff, especially for someone who rarely drops the gloves.

What will make it even cooler for Pastrnak and the Bruins, though, is if he and they can build off it. Nothing went right for Boston in Game 2, but much of the talk coming out of Wednesday night has to do with Pastrnak’s willingness to sacrifice. The Bruins were run out of the building, but if Pastrnak’s decision is well received in the Boston dressing room — and it sounds like it was — then the B’s actually could have a little bit of momentum going into Game 3 on Friday night.

Perhaps this locks in Pastrnak, too. Pastrnak is a wonderfully gifted goal-scorer and one of the NHL’s six to eight best forwards. He has come a long way over his career, adding bulk to his body and learning to play a more responsible brand of hockey, too.

He’s no playoff slouch (85 points in 86 career postseason games), but he doesn’t always take over a series the way he does in the regular season. This, however, would be the perfect time for him to do that. After Montgomery’s challenge, Pastrnak scored the winner against Toronto and had four shots on goal with an assist in Game 1. Like almost every other Bruin, though, he was silenced in Game 2 when he didn’t put a single shot on goal.

But it’s telling that Montgomery had nothing but praise for Pastrnak after Game 2. He followed it up Thursday, calling Pastrnak’s act “inspiring.” It helps that no one else really played that well, but on a night where he (and the rest of his teammates) didn’t have it, Pastrnak found a way to offer some push-back. For a guy who might not always be considered with players like Brad Marchand or Charlie McAvoy as part of the Bruins’ “leadership group,” this could be a sneaky important turning point in the winger’s career.

It’s a long series. Yet, as Montgomery said last week, your best players at this time of year “need to come through with big-time plays in big-time moments.” Pastrnak found a way to do that in a game that already was decided, and we’ll soon learn whether it pays dividends.

The Bruins will have to prove they can eradicate Florida’s relentless forecheck, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pastrnak elevate his game to another level after laying it on the line for his teammates.

That’s the hope for the Bruins, at least.