The Bruins advanced further on Sunday at TD Garden, defeating the Seattle Kraken 2-0 while recording their second consecutive shutout.
After losing to the Flyers and Hurricanes back-to-back last week, a number of players on the Bruins’ roster bounced back, marking another encouraging return to form.
In Boston’s most recent victory, a number of players who appeared to be in Jim Montgomery’s doghouse recovered.
After a seven-game scoring drought, Elias Lindholm collected his second assist in as many games, Trent Frederic responded to a hit against Matt Poitras by dropping the gloves against Adam Larsson, and Charlie Coyle started the game with a power-play goal.
However, David Pastrnak was one player who did not escape the wrath of Boston’s bench boss, as the Bruins’ best player spent the whole third period glued to the bench.
When Pastrnak recorded his last shift of the game at 17:34 in the third period, Montgomery said, “Coach’s decision, third period.” “That’s all I have to say about it.”
Although the precise reason for Pastrnak’s benching is still unknown, the talented winger was sent off for a vicious turnover during the power play later in the second period. The Kraken’s shorthanded tally didn’t cost Pastrnak, but it was a dangerous move from Boston’s winger that might have had disastrous consequences.
Several of Pastrnak’s teammates were questioned about his benching during crucial moments following Boston’s 2-0 victory over the Kraken.
Do we want our top players to play, after all? “Yes,” answered Charlie Coyle. “The whole scope of that is unknown to me. I’m not sure what was going on, but sometimes you’re so focused on the game that you don’t have time to think; you’re just kind of ready to see who you’re going with next.
“You just must play; there is a hockey game to be played, regardless of what the coach says or decides. Pasta, he wasn’t quiet, but. He was providing vitality. He was speaking. He was interested in it. That alone is an indication of a good teammate. He wears a letter for that reason. He is one of our leaders and captains because of this. There is much to be said for that.
Pastrnak wasn’t merely a spectator for the majority of Sunday’s victory, despite his enthusiasm on the bench. Pastrnak drew a penalty, blocked a shot, and led Boston with seven shots on goal despite only having 14:21 of ice time.
However, Boston’s margins are extremely narrow at this point in the season because to its inconsistent offensive output, so costly giveaways like Pastrnak’s accident in the second quarter cannot be allowed.
We are all members of the same team. Nobody is given preferential treatment, and I believe that’s the way things ought to be,” Coyle continued. “I believe that everyone accepts responsibility. Any of us who have been in that situation will tell you that we’ve received a lot of criticism, and it’s probably for good reason.
All of us are competitive. Everyone wants to play. Because Monty holds us accountable, we will all be held accountable in our own unique ways, which will further strengthen our bond as a team.
Charlie McAvoy used Brad Marchand’s reaction to Montgomery’s tirade against him on the bench last month as a model for how Boston’s players should handle criticism from the coaching staff as well as an illustration of the accountability Boston’s head coach requires.
According to Matt Vautour of MassLive, McAvoy stated, “The only thing we play for here is the crest, which is one of the things that we know here and can’t get lost here.” In reality, the individual honors are irrelevant. Brad strongly believes that. He views accountability and players holding one another accountable in a somewhat archaic way.
“He was okay with Monty shouting at him on the bench, and perhaps that’s something that people in this day and age couldn’t really believe,” McAvoy continued. He believes that coaches and players should hold each other accountable. That’s the only way we can sort of cultivate this winning culture and ensure our success. That was good to see, then.
When Boston travels to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Pastrnak will have an opportunity to respond to Montgomery’s challenge.