TORONTO — Bruins coach Jim Montgomery admitted after the game that when he called Pavel Zacha a game-time decision earlier in the day, he wasn’t optimistic.
Zacha had left Saturday’s game with an injury. He participated at morning skate, but as the 13th forward, not with his regular line.
BetMGM BET $5, GET $158! BONUS BETS
STATES: MA, KY, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org.
“I talked to him at morning skate. He wasn’t going to be able to go,” Montgomery said. “We didn’t think he was going to play to be honest.”
But some grit by Zacha combined with good work by the training staff between morning skate and the 7 p.m. opening faceoff was enough to make the Czech center game-worthy.
On the ice, he didn’t look injured. Zacha scored two goals and was solid on faceoffs in the Bruins’ 4-1 win. His 25 shifts were the most of any forward.
“It was a big lift obviously. He had a great night,” Montgomery said.
David Pastrnak set up both of his goals and tipped his hat.
“We’re glad that he played. He obviously had a heckuva game. He got us two goals,” he said. “Good on him that he could play and a great job by the training staff.”
Zacha looked lively out of the gate and got a shot on Joseph Woll 14 seconds into the game. He then shook off a check and kept playing.
Brad Marchand said after seeing Zacha leave the ice on Saturday, seeing him back in the lineup two days later gave the Bruins a spark they needed.
“He’s such a great guy. For him to come out and battle through his injury the way he did and produce the way he did. Not just produce, he competed so hard all night. The way he took control and led our group right from the first shift, that’s what you feed off of,” Marchand said. “When guys are playing through injury and competing at that level, so much respect. When a guy is willing to lay his body on the line for you, you want to repay the favor. He definitely led our group tonight.”
