BOSTON — David Pastrnak saw an opportunity to keep the Bruins in the game down a goal and he took it.
The forward made a save on an empty-net attempt by the Lightning late in the third period before laying a big hit on Nikita Kucherov. While Boston ultimately fell 4-3 to Tampa Bay on Monday, Pastrnak’s effort didn’t go unnoticed.
“He’s our leader,” coach Marco Sturm said after the game. “He does everything. He wants to win. He was good on the bench. But yeah, he does everything.”
Morgan Geekie echoed his coach’s sentiments.
“When your best player is doing that kind of stuff, it’s easy to buy in,” he said. “It was a great save. I wish we could have put one in for him.”
Pastrnak has been a leader on the Bruins for the last several years, but has taken on more responsibility since Brad Marchand was traded at last year’s deadline and being named an alternate captain for the 2025-26 season.
The Bruins made it interesting in the end, but weren’t able to capitalize on a 5-on-3 with eight seconds left in the game.
Monday marked Boston’s first loss of the season after starting 2025-26 with a 3-0-0 record. The team now embarks on a three-game road trip against the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and Utah Mammoth.
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