Joe Murray: David Pastrnak Shines Again on Opening Night
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 11: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins checks Wyatt Kaiser #44 of the Chicago Blackhawks into the boards during the first period of the Bruins home opener at TD Garden on October 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Bruins kicked off their centennial season with a 3-1 win over Chicago last night at TD Garden. Plenty of new faces were on display, a familiar face who did the damage on opening night.
David Pastrnak scored the go ahead goal and the empty netter to seal the victory. One thing that came away from last year’s disappointing season was a long term contract extension with the right wing. He scored 61 goals last season and started his 9th season in Boston with a pair.
![Chicago Blackhawks v Boston Bruins](https://985thesportshub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2023/10/GettyImages-1731505747.jpg)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 11: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins talks with David Pastrnak #88 before the Bruins home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden on October 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
As referenced below by my great colleague Ty Anderson. Pastrnak should be named Mr. Opening Night. He has 13 points with seven goals and six assists over his career in the first game of the season.
2015 6-2 loss to Winnipeg
One goal
2016 6-3 win vs Columbus
Two goals – Two assists – Eight shots
2018 7-0 loss vs Washington
1 goal on three shots
2021 3-1 win vs Dallas
One assist
2022 5-2 win vs Washington
One goal – three assists
2023 3-1 win vs Chicago
Two goals
The Bruins trailed early after Connor Bedard’s first career goal on the wrap-around. The B’s responded, Brandon Carlo’s shot was tipped in front of the net by Trent Frederick to even the score at one.
The offense was stalling, Jim Montgomery made a change.
He moved Milan Lucic on a line with Pastrnak and Marchand. Lucic made an excellent pass in the zone that Pastrnak ripped from the dot to make it 2-1. It was his first shot of the four he had on the night. The final goal was a nice flip from Brad Marchand to Pastrnak and sent everyone home.
What else would you expect from Mr. Opening Night.
3 Stars: Opening Night Pastrnak shines for Bruins once again
With dozens of the franchise legends in the house and looking on, Jim Montgomery and the Bruins made sure they ended a night that started with a celebration of 100 years of Bruins hockey in the best way possible: with a win.
“I thought the ceremony was fantastic,” Montgomery said following his team’s victory. “A great tribute to the 100 years of great players. I thought it was great that, the unfortunate ones that couldn’t be with us, that family members represented them. And, you know, to see Cam Neely and Ray Bourque and Johnny Bucyk and Terry O’Reilly and Bobby Orr, you know, what an ovation he got. Well-deserved. But it makes you feel special to be a Bruin. And even though it was a long process, I could feel it on the bench.”
READ MORE
– Anderson: Why I’m still high on the Bruins in the post-Bergeron, Krejci era
– Meet the Bruins’ Opening Night roster
– 5 questions about the Bruins entering the 2023-24 season
The long wait, along with some pregame jitters for all involved, led to what was best described as an uneven start. The puck was bouncing, bodies were flying, and it felt like a game of who’ll blink first. It was hardly a masterpiece from the B’s — speaking after the win, Montgomery called his team’s game ‘very average’ — but the Bruins buckled down when they needed to, and put forth a strong third-period effort to seal the deal on this one.
And in what was a continuation of last year’s record-breaking regular season, the team once again got strong goaltending from Linus Ullmark, who turned aside all but one of the 21 shots he faced in the winning performance.
Ullmark’s best save of the evening came in the third period, too, with the Bruins protecting a one-goal lead and the Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard bearing down on him in what was a partial breakaway opportunity.
With the win, the Bruins extended their Opening Night win streak to five games, with Boston’s last Opening Night loss coming back in 2018, and at the hands of the Capitals in what was a 7-0 beatdown.
Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a 3-1 win at TD Garden…
Joe Murray has worked behind the scenes and on-air in New England since 2007. Murray was born and raised in Boston (Hyde Park) and is now living on the North Shore in Peabody. A graduate of CSB School of Broadcasting, Joe was hired at 98.5 The Sports Hub in 2011 and is the host of Patriots Postgame and the Over/Under Podcast with Dan Lifshatz. Joe was hired as the full-time night show host in 2023, and a featured guest for “The Weekly Spread” on NBC Sports Boston during football season. Joe writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.