The Boston Bruins had a great weekend, earning back-to-back shutout wins just a little more than 24 hours apart. But after the Bruins’ 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, most of the talk was about David Pastrnak and Jim Montgomery’s decision to bench the star forward.
Pastrnak led the team with seven shots on target during the first 40 minutes of the game, but in an unexpected turn of events, he had zero shifts in the third period.
After the game, Jim Montgomery explained the decision to bench the forward, who recorded 110 points last season, as a “coach’s decision” but offered no further explanation.
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On social media, however, fans have begun speculating about what really led Montgomery to bench Pastrnak. One X user shared a video of a late-second-period turnover from Pastrnak that nearly resulted in a goal, potentially shifting the game’s momentum.
Fans are now convinced that this turnover was enough for Montgomery to bench him in the third period.
On Monday, Pastrnak addressed the incident, taking full responsibility.
“Honestly, I’ve got to be better,” Pastrnak said. “I take responsibility for being better, but at the same time, I’m just moving forward. Today, I’m focusing on another game tomorrow, and yesterday was yesterday. I never look back.”
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Pastrnak also discussed the turnover that circulated on social media.
“That was a bad turnover, so like I said, I take responsibility for it,” Pastrnak commented. “Accountability, I guess, is a better word. I just want to move forward. I don’t want to be a distraction to our team. The guys know how I feel about them in here, and it was a bad play.”
