Bruins

“It’s a bad game. So… I take responsibility and I’m already moving forward.”

David Pastrnak found himself in an unknown location on Sunday – serving as a partition between the Bruins crop of attackers and defenders on the Boston bench.

For the final 20 minutes of Boston’s 2-0 win over the Kraken at TD Garden, the Bruins’ best forward remained stapled in its place in no man’s land on the pine. Benches are a reliable way for coaches to both get their message across and convey hard truths about accountability to most NHL players.

Of course, David Pastrnak isn’t exactly like most NHL players.

The 28-year-old Czech winger is Boston’s highest-paid player ($11.25 million AAV) and has carved out a track record as one of the game’s most gifted offensive leaders.

But Pastrnak’s misplay with the puck on Sunday was too much for Jim Montgomery to justify keeping Boston’s top scorer on the ice.

It’s a decision a star talent like Pastrnak has rarely experienced in his 11 seasons in Boston, but one he accepted Monday morning.

“It was a bad turnover,” Pastrnak said. “So I take responsibility for it. …I just want to move forward. I don’t want to distract our team. The guys know how I feel about them here. It’s a bad play. So… I take my responsibilities and I’m already moving forward.

Pastrnak’s ice time plummeted Sunday shortly after an ill-advised move with the puck during a power play. While trying to deal with traffic in the final minute of the second period, Pastrnak lost control of the cookie following a punch from Seattle’s Yanni Gourde, who carried the puck to the other end of the ice .

Gourde was eventually moved off the A-level ice by Elias Lindholm, negating any chance of the Kraken being shorthanded. Still, it was a reckless play by Pastrnak in a game where Boston held a two-goal lead.

Despite Pastrnak’s obvious offensive talent, the O-zone’s creativity and panache have regularly led to turnovers – with the winger currently sitting fourth in the NHL with 23 giveaways this season. (by natural statistics trick).

Certainly, a high turnover rate is expected among offensively gifted forwards who retain the puck at a high rate – Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (25) being the only forward ahead of Pastrnak in giveaways.

However, Pastrnak’s misplay with the puck hampered Boston’s ability to launch its offense, the The winger’s chemistry with Elias Lindholm further complicating things.

“I think it’s the same thing that’s bothering the whole team,” Montgomery said Monday of what Pastrnak needs to do to get back on track. “It’s a little bit of chemistry… But if you look at the way our season has gone, we look disjointed at times.”

Despite Pastrnak’s limited reps on Sunday, the franchise forward always garnered praise from Charlie Coyle for remaining engaged and encouraging on the Boston bench, even as his playing time remained stagnant.

Montgomery echoed a similar sentiment Monday.

“He was incredible. Very vocal, captivating the players,” Montgomery said of Pastrnak’s response, adding: “I’ve been saying that all along. I have said it several times. I am truly fortunate to work with the leaders I work with.

“I’m very lucky. In other places, you’ve seen coaches where…it’s a big deal. And I’m lucky with the accountability that exists in this culture and the leaders that I have to deal with, because it allows me to hold everyone accountable.

This isn’t the first time Montgomery has warned Pastrnak – pointing out that the winger needed to “step up” entering Game 7 from Boston’s first-round fight against the Maple Leafs last spring.

Pastrnak responded with a decisive overtime score to send Boston to the next round.

The stakes may not be as high at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night when the Bruins travel to Toronto. But the Bruins will welcome any response from a motivated Pastrnak against the team’s Original Six foe.

“It’s a little different, isn’t it? It was the playoffs and it was a little different,” Pastrnak said, comparing that bench to Montgomery’s playoff call. “But (as) I said, I take full responsibility.

“I wasn’t good enough yesterday, and I came in and got better today. So it was a good day. And I know we have a big game tomorrow in Toronto, and that’s always important for our ranking and for our group. So that’s my goal.

Montgomery dampens the noise

Boston’s back-to-back wins over the Flyers and Kraken last weekend likely eased some of the pressure on Montgomery.

Given the lack of clarity regarding a contract extensionBoston’s inconsistent start and the high expectations placed on this roster, Montgomery’s future with the Bruins remains murky — with a lopsided loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday elevating the narrative that he was in the hot seat.

But even with his precarious position with the Bruins, Montgomery noted Monday that he’s not dwelling on the challenges ahead.

“The way I deal with it is: There’s a great poem. It’s called “Yesterday, today and tomorrow. » And I believe a big part of our team’s process is that you only control the present,” Montgomery said of the pressure of his job. “And if you worry about the past and dwell on it, it gives rise to anxiety, worry, or contentment, depending on what you’re thinking about.

“If you’re worried about the future, which you can’t control, then you’re really going to suffer from anxiety. So that’s where my mindset is going. And with the struggles I’ve had personally, this poem really reinforced what I need to worry about, which is the next 24 hours. And this is how I live my life.

Light work

Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle did not participate in Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, with Montgomery calling their absences maintenance days. … Two Ontario natives, Matt Poitras (Ajax) and Justin Brazeau (New Liskeard), led the post-practice sequence before Tuesday’s game against Toronto.

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Conor Ryan is a writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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