Bruins takeaways: Pastrnak benched, goaltending improves in weekend wins originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins hit a new low with last Thursday’s 8-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Carolina. This past weekend offered the B’s a chance to get back on track with two matchups versus lesser-talented opponents, and they took advantage.
The Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on the road Saturday afternoon before coming home to TD Garden and defeating the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday.
While the Bruins still have lots of room for improvement in just about every facet of their game, these two wins did show that progress is being made to address what has ailed this team throughout the season so far.
The Bruins are now 6-6-1 through 13 games. Here are four takeaways from their weekend victories.
David Pastrnak benched
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has not been afraid to send a message to his best players this season. He had a fiery outburst toward captain Brad Marchand during a loss in Utah last month, and then Sunday he benched David Pastrnak — the team’s leading scorer and highest-paid player — for the entire third period.
When asked about the benching after the game, Montgomery told reporters, “Coach’s decision, third period. That’s all I’m going to comment on.”
Pastrnak led all Bruins players with seven shots, but he also was credited with two giveaways in the 14:11 of ice time he got through two periods. One of the turnovers happened on a late second period power play that resulted in a shorthanded scoring chance for the Kraken. He also had three giveaways in Saturday’s win.
Players like Pastrnak are going to rank among the leaders in turnovers. They have the puck a lot. The top 10 players in giveaways last season included Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, among other elite scorers. But at the same time, puck possession is super important. Being too careless with the puck is a problem.
Despite what happened, Pastrnak maintained a positive attitude on the bench in support of his teammates.
“He wasn’t silent,” Coyle said of Pastrnak, per WEEI’s Scott McLaughlin. “He was bringing energy. He was talking. He was into it. That’s the sign of a good teammate right there. And that’s why he wears a letter as one of our captains and one of our leaders. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
Montgomery is going to hold everyone accountable, whether you’re the team’s highest-paid player or a rookie just trying to hold on to a roster spot.
“We all play on the same team,” Coyle told reporters, per McLaughlin. “There’s no special treatment for anyone. I think that’s how it should be. I think we all take responsibility. You ask any one of us who have been in that position who’ve gotten an earful or whatever, it’s probably for a good reason.
“We’re all competitive. We all want to play. We’ve all got to be responsible in our own way. And Monty holds us accountable. That’s only going to make us better as a team individually, but as a team as well. I don’t think guys would change that.”
The Bruins’ next game is Tuesday night against the Leafs in Toronto. Pastrnak has enjoyed plenty of success against the Leafs in his career, both in the regular season and playoffs. He scored one goal with one assist when these two rivals met in Boston last month.
When Montgomery called out Pastrnak publicly after the Bruins’ Game 6 loss to the Leafs in last season’s first-round playoff series, the superstar right wing responded with the series-winning goal in overtime of Game 7. It will be interesting to watch how Pastrnak responds Tuesday against the same opponent.
Charlie Coyle plays his best game of the season
The Bruins needed much better production from Coyle after a very slow start. He entered the weekend with one goal and zero assists through the first 11 games. The veteran center played his best game of the season Sunday versus the Kraken. He scored a gorgeous goal on the power play with a great deke that completely fooled Seattle netminder Joey Daccord.
Coyle also tallied a season-high four shots and dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 12 of his 14 draws. The Bruins need Coyle to be a factor at both ends of the ice to hit their ceiling, and Sunday was a very positive step forward for the second-line center.
“I think the last two nights, Charlie Coyle has been moving his feet,” Montgomery told reporters postgame Sunday. “When he moves his feet, he creates turnovers and takes pucks to the net, like that play on the penalty kill where he ended up on a partial breakaway.”
Goaltending improves
Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo weren’t among the top five or seven most disappointing players through the Bruins’ first 11 games, but they did need to play better, particularly Swayman. He posted a 3-4-1 record with a .884 save percentage and a 3.57 GAA through his first eight starts.
Swayman earned his first shutout of the season Sunday, making 23 saves on 23 shots. He didn’t face a ton of Grade A scoring chances, but he was ready when they did come.
🎥 Jeremy Swayman on his shutout win vs. Seattle: “The guys in front of me did a great job clogging the middle and letting me see the first shot. I thought it was a really good team win…it’s just really special to see our team come together.” pic.twitter.com/LmUgAZDvyH
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 4, 2024
Korpisalo earned his first ever shutout as a Bruins player with Saturday’s win over the Flyers. He stopped all 20 pucks sent his way. In fact, since taking over for Swayman in the second period of last week’s loss to the Hurricanes, Korpisalo has made 33 saves on his last 35 shots against (.942 save percentage). He has stopped 37 of the 38 shots he’s faced in his last two starts (both against the Flyers.)
A two-game sample isn’t enough to say the Bruins goaltending is back to being elite, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction after a tough start to the campaign. The last time the B’s pitched a shutout on consecutive days was Oct. 27-28, 2008.
Fast starts
The Bruins have been falling behind early in games this season, and that’s a tough way to play, especially for a team that is having trouble scoring at 5-on-5. Boston came into the weekend with a minus-6 goal differential (nine for, 15 against) in the first period through 11 games. Boston trailed Carolina 4-1 after 20 minutes in Thursday’s defeat.
One of the primary reasons why the Bruins beat the Flyers and Kraken this weekend is because they started fast.
The B’s led the Flyers 1-0 after the first 20 minutes, but the strong start wasn’t just about scoring. The Bruins earned a 31-8 lead in shot attempts, a 15-3 shots advantage, a 13-2 edge in scoring chances and a 7-0 lead in high-danger chances during the first period.
Sunday’s game was very similar. The B’s led the Kraken 2-0 after the first period, and they controlled the pace of play by a wide margin. Boston earned a 15-3 lead in shots, a 16-5 advantage in scoring chances and a 6-1 edge in high-danger chances in the first period.
The Bruins, even after this weekend’s success, still rank 25th in 5-on-5 goals scored with 19 in 12 games. They are not, at least right now, built to overcome early deficits on a consistent basis. This is why fast starts are so important for this team. Build an early lead and allow your elite goalie to settle in.