Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak Owns Up To Getting Benched: ‘I’ve Got To Be Better’

Published

1 month ago

November 4, 2024

Andrew Fantucchio/Boston Hockey Now

BRIGHTON– It wasn’t clear to those who were watching why David Pastrnak spent the entirety of the third period on the bench while the Boston Bruins put the finishing touches on their strongest victory of the season, Sunday night at TD Garden.

All that mattered, though, was that Pastrnak knew. After committing a turnover on the power play toward the end of the second period against the Seattle Kraken, the Bruins’ star player spent the rest of the game as a spectator.

“I’ve got to be better, and I take full responsibility for it,” Pastrnak said Monday morning following Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “I’m just moving on. Yesterday was yesterday, and I never looked back. I just came in today and worked on my game today.”

Pastrnak:

“I take accountability and am already moving forward. I don’t want to be a distraction to our team. The guys know how I feel about them in here.” pic.twitter.com/18f5HZoDbx

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) November 4, 2024

After losing five of their previous six matchups heading into the weekend, including an embarrassing 8-2 loss on Thursday in Carolina, the Bruins won back-to-back games for only the second time this season with consecutive shutouts on Saturday and Sunday.

However, the decision to bench Pastrnak by Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery against Seattle largely overshadowed the Bruins’ best performance in weeks.

“It was a bad turnover, and I take accountability for it,” Pastrnak said Monday morning following Bruins practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “I just want to move forward. I don’t want to be a distraction to our team. The guys know how I feel about them in here.”

Even while out of the game, Pastrnak remained invested in the action. Although he wasn’t out on the ice with his teammates, he continued to support them from the bench.

“He was incredible and very vocal, picking up players,” Montgomery said. “In the last 15 seconds, he was talking about what a great team win it was. Since the beginning, I’ve said it numerous times, I’m really lucky to work with the leaders I get to work with. I’m very fortunate. You’ve seen it in other places where it’s a big problem. I’m lucky with the accountability that exists in this culture and the leaders that I get to deal with because that allows me to hold everybody accountable.”

Pastrnak has been an assistant captain with the Bruins since last season and the team’s premiere player for nearly his entire career. A three-time NHL All-Star and perennial Rocket Ricard Trophy candidate, he’s one of the league’s top stars.

As impressive as his career resumé may be, Pastrnak doesn’t use it as an excuse for special treatment.

“He’s a great player, and he’s really mentally strong, too,” Bruins forward Pavel Zacha said. “He knows when he plays good, and he knows when he plays bad. Sometimes, that’s hard for some players, who will disagree with coaches. He knows really well when he plays good or bad. That’s why he can move from this and learn from these things. He knows that we need him a lot.”

With 11 points and six goals, Pastrnak is Boston’s leading scorer through 13 games.

The Bruins will travel to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, with puck drop slated for 7 p.m. EST.