“I have to be better,” Pastrňák said after practice on Monday. “Now I’m focused on the next game (in Toronto) and yesterday is behind me. I never look back.” At the same time, Boston’s most productive player (6+5) shed some light on why Montgomery benched him. “There was (unnecessary) loss of the puck. I take responsibility for that. But I don’t want to distract our team in any way. The boys know what I’m thinking, I’m already moving forward.’
After monumental starts to the regular season last year and the year before last, the Bruins are experiencing a rocky autumn with a 6-6-1 record and a score of 34-42.
“With Pastrňák, it is similar to the whole team. Chemistry plays a role in this. He knows what his role is, but if you look at the course of the season, sometimes we look disjointed. We are starting to move in the right direction, but a lot depends on the details,” claimed Montgomery, who certainly has no problem starting even after the team’s biggest stars.
For those curious as to what moment specifically lead to Jim Montgomery benching David Pastrnak in the 3rd – Notice the situation, score, time on the clock, and momentum that would have gone the other way due to a careless, trying to do it all yourself, turnover. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/FJTnGgJAPj
— Brian DeFelice (@briandefelice_) November 4, 2024
Not long ago, it was discussed in Boston how he yelled at captain Brad Marchand after losing the puck in Utah and added an angry jab. Now the coach’s reaction to Pastrňák, who, however, did not look offended at the end of the game with Seattle, is being addressed.
“One wants to support the boys, what they have to do without one player because of my mistake. The last wins were very important for us, but as a team we still need to rise,” Pastrňák claimed.
If a similar situation were to occur, for example, in Toronto or Edmonton, there would be fire on the roof, but the Czech Bruins forward does not take the situation personally.
“I’ve said it from the beginning, I’ve said it many times: I’m very lucky to work with leaders like Pasta. In other places you see coaches who would have a tremendous problem. But I’m lucky to have leaders who know what responsibility is,” Montgomery acknowledged.
