BOSTON — In overtime, David Pastrnak received an assist from Brandon Carlo just above the Boston Bruins blue line. Pastrnak sent the puck into Boston’s end for Hampus Lindholm and began to move back up the ice.
Lindholm knew exactly what was happening.
As Lindholm placed the puck at the blue line, the defenseman saw that Pastrnak was flying. Lindholm’s job was to gain the red line and get the puck up the ice to Pastrnak. Lindholm knew good things were coming.
Like a 2-1 overtime win in Game 7.
“I’ve been playing with him for a long time,” Lindholm said. “Enough to see when we swing, he swings like this.”
In Games 5, 6 and 7, the Toronto Maple Leafs excelled at occupying the middle of the ice. By stacking the neutral zone with three men, the Leafs prevented the Bruins from gaining speed in the offensive zone.
But by reaching the red line before John Tavares could block his advance, Lindholm knew he could get around the Leafs’ three-wide perimeter. He placed his cross bin perfectly. Pastrnak, in full flight, had placed himself behind Mitch Marner. By the time the puck came out of the back boards and onto Pastrnak’s stick, Ilya Lyubushkin, Toronto’s closest defender, had no chance to catch up.
The Bruins’ most gifted scorer wasn’t going to waste a game-winning setback in overtime.
WINNER WINNER PASTA FOR DINNER!!!! 🍝 pic.twitter.com/gmLc3kOw3y
– Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 5, 2024
“The pasta did its magic,” Lindholm said.
Pastrnak placed the puck on his backhand. Even during a full sprint, he managed to carry it on his forehand, return to his backhand and beat Ilya Samsonov.
“A lot of enthusiasm obviously,” Pastrnak said of the winner. “You could also say a little relief.”
Pastrnak made his living – with an annual salary of $11.25 million, no less – putting pucks in the net. What had come so easily for the number one right winger during a 47-goal regular season, however, was nowhere to be seen in the playoffs. Pastrnak has just two goals in six games against the Leafs.
It wasn’t just that. He was fumbling with pucks. He wasn’t shooting enough. Pastrnak wasn’t himself and his coach let him know after Game 6.
Where is David Pastrnak? “Pasta needs to step up”
– Fluto Shinzawa (@FlutoShinzawa) May 3, 2024
Pastrnak agreed.
“If I was the coach and you were me, I would say the same thing,” Pastrnak said. “I had no problem with him saying that. He tries to get the best out of each player. He expects more. I’m trying to be better, I admit it. I need to be better. I still have ways to be better.
Before Game 7, Montgomery hatched a plan to express Pastrnak more. He moved Pavel Zacha, his usual center, to the left wing. He moved Morgan Geekie to center. This would give the line more strength on the puck and perhaps give Pastrnak more opportunities to do his job.
Pastrnak, in turn, reassured his coach that everything would be fine.
The Bruins turned Game 7 into a road trip-like affair. On Friday, upon their return from Toronto, they checked into a hotel in Boston instead of going home. They held a video meeting at the hotel before calling it a day.
On Saturday, they reported to TD Garden, not Warrior Ice Arena as they usually do, for their morning practice. Pastrnak greeted Montgomery with his usual good humor.
“He had a smile on his face, from ear to ear,” Montgomery said. “He says, ‘What’s up, Coach?’ You sleep well?’ As soon as I knew he was in that state of mind, I knew he was going to be good tonight.
Pastrnak didn’t always have a smile on his face during the first round. During matches, he spent more time on his back than usual. This also happened in Game 7. In the first period, Joel Edmundson flattened Pastrnak.
But Pastrnak doesn’t shy away from physical play. Edmundson’s body slam didn’t deter him from putting pressure on the net in later shifts alongside Zacha and Geekie.
“I feel like we spent more time in the O zone against our game than we did in our D zone,” Pastrnak said. “We had a good match. We had a few chances. We spent a lot of time in the O zone. I like the way our line played today. I hope we can contribute even more and help the team move forward.
The first round was not easy for Pastrnak. He expects to score, and he scores often. But the best players persist despite missed opportunities.
“He’s our star player,” Lindholm said. “There is a lot of pressure when you are a player like him. But the way he carries himself, the way he comes to the rink and works every day, what the fans and you don’t see, it’s so much fun to see a guy like him succeed.
(Photo: China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images)