Before he made the TD Garden crowd jump out of their seats on Saturday night, David Pastrnak’s own seat was rather hot.
The 10-year NHL veteran—and two-time All-Star—was called out by Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery following his second straight scoreless effort in Game 6, also Boston’s second straight loss in the series.
“Your best players need to be your best players this time of year,” Montgomery said. “I think the effort is tremendous and they need to come through with some big-time plays in big-time moments. I think Marchand has done that in the series. Pasta needs to step up.”
Step up, Pastrnak did, as he was there when the Bruins, who defeated the Maple Leafs 2—1 to advance to the second round, needed him most.
Locked in a tight battle with the Maple Leafs that saw the teams go two full periods without a goal scored, Pastrnak, with 1:54 remaining in overtime, skated past the Maple Leafs defense and showed off some nifty stick work, scoring on a backhand shot after an assist from Hampus Lindholm to win the game—and the series—for Boston.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Pastrnak had a commendable response when asked about being called out by Montgomery.
“Jimmy, you know, he said the stuff he did after Game 6,” Pastrnak said. “And I told him, ‘If I’m the coach and you were me, I would say the same things,’ so I had no problem with him saying that.”
“He’s trying to bring the best out of every single player and he expects more. I just took it as a man and tried to be better. I admitted I need to be better and I still have ways to be better.”
Pastrnak, 27, scored three goals in the series. The Bruins will next take on the Florida Panthers on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.
