Obviously, Jim Montgomery liked the result of the Bruins’ 5-4 win on Friday over the New York Islanders, but his satisfaction leaving UBS Arena extended well beyond getting two more points in the standings.
He liked how his team rallied and what they overcame to be victorious.
BET ANYTHINGGET $250 BONUSESPN BET
21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
The taste of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in overtime was still fresh coming in, while the Islanders had won four straight games and six out of their last seven. The Bruins were playing without both Pavel Zacha, a top-two center and Charlie McAvoy, their minutes-eating top defenseman who were placed on injured reserve before the game.
But even when the Bruins fell behind 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3, Montgomery liked their attitude and approach on the bench. Even when a game-tying goal was overturned he liked their resilience and even when they started overtime shorthanded he liked their belief.
“We didn’t know if we were going to be able to tie it up or not, but to me that’s the biggest win of the year, just because of the attitude on the bench,” he said. “There was energy, emotion. Everybody believed.”
He said Linus Ullmark’s unlikely second-period save on Simon Holmstrom’s shorthanded bid that prevented a 2-0 hole from becoming a 3-0 deficit was indicative of Ullmark’s contributions.
“The game is probably over if they score there,” Montgomery said. “Tremendous compete. Tremendous third effort on the puck. Besides his skillset and the way he stops pucks, that’s just competing for your team.”
Ullmark said the save wouldn’t have meant anything if Morgan Geekie hadn’t scored at the other end moments later.
“If we don’t capitalize on that, it’s all for naught. We stuck with it. We did the right things and came out rewarded,” Ullmark said. “This was one of those games where you know it’s going to come if you stick with it. I’m so proud of the fellas that they did that.”
David Pastrnak, who had a goal in regulation and the game-winner in the shootout, hoped the momentum would carry into Saturday’s matchup with the Rangers back in Boston.
“It’s a confidence booster. For us to come back multiple times. Obviously an amazing job by Linus just to keep us in the game early on,” he said. “Overall helluva win. It’s a quick turnaround, but try to take some positives from it.”
- All betting sites in MA will have promo codes for signing up. Don’t forget to check out BetMGM Massachusetts and DraftKings Massachusetts.
