Bruins Fans Will Love David Pastrnak's Bruins Boston-First Mentality originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Bruins did just enough on Tuesday night to keep the season alive against the Buffalo Sabres. It took 70 minutes, but at the end of the night, it was superstar forward David Pastrnak ending the night with an overtime winner.
Pastrnak told former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on TNT's post-game coverage that the team went to Buffalo fueled by the prospect of avenging their home loss in Game 4.
"Obviously, that was all of our focus today -- to get the win and bring the series back to Boston," Pastrnak told Cassidy. "We all know what happened last game, and we were not happy.
"That (Game 4) doesn't explain our group. We were fighting the whole year for eachother. We wanted to bring the series back, and prove to our fans, and get a win, and bring it (the series) back here (Buffalo)."
Pastrnak talked to the boys about his OT winner, what he was saying to the Sabres fans after it and shared some old Coach Cassidy stories π pic.twitter.com/0UqfmBcpk8
The Czech star has not looked like himself at home in the opening series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Pastrnak scored a goal and had two assists in Game 1 in Buffalo. He followed that effort up with another two-point performance in Game 2. However, he was kept entirely off the score sheet in games three and four at TD Garden.
He posted a dysmal -3 in the 3-1 loss in Game 3, and was -2 with four penalty minutes in Game 4.
His overtime winner more than made up for his sins in the previous two matchups, but the star is going to have to find a way to bring his play on the bus back to Boston after extending the series in Buffalo.
More NHL: Bruins, Celtics Can't Shake Bizarre Playoff Trend In Game 5