TORONTO — As an outsider, Kevin Shattenkirk knew all about David Pastrnak’s finishing skill. It took until this season for the first-year Boston Bruin to learn that Pastrnak is a complete offensive presence.
“He sees plays happening three steps ahead,” Shattenkirk said after Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. “That’s special talent.”
Advertisement
Shattenkirk was the beneficiary of Pastrnak’s vision in the second period. Pastrnak pursued the rebound of a Jake DeBrusk shot into the left corner. As Pastrnak curled up the left-side wall, Shattenkirk felt it was time for him to go.
This has not come naturally for Shattenkirk this season. At times, he has not played with the degree of pace coach Jim Montgomery prefers. It has cost him five games, including a matinee at Madison Square Garden, the home rink of the New Rochelle, N.Y., native.
“For sure. For sure,” the 34-year-old answered about being a healthy scratch. “It’s tough. You have family and friends going to the game to watch. I’ve been in the league a long time and it hasn’t happened to me before. I’m grateful for that. Most guys don’t have the luxury of playing most of their games. It definitely stung. But in my mind, there’s only one thing to do: Just put your head down and go back to work.“
Pastrnak feathered a seam pass to Shattenkirk. The defenseman tucked a backhander past Joseph Woll for his first goal as a Bruin.
Silky Shatty 👌 pic.twitter.com/NoajJeBKBB
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 3, 2023
Pastrnak was not finished creating.
In overtime, after Brad Marchand forced a William Nylander turnover in center ice, Pastrnak corralled the puck. Woll stuffed Pastrnak’s backhand breakaway. But Pastrnak stayed on the puck and spotted Marchand on the far side. Before Woll could recover, Pastrnak passed to Marchand. The left wing gloved the puck, put it on his stick and found the net with 7.3 seconds remaining in overtime.
“Amazing turnover,” Pastrnak said of Marchand. “I had a quick look to see if he was coming. It looked like he didn’t want to go. So I tried a breakaway. I didn’t get it in. Then I saw him stop at the net. So I just tried to get it to him as quick as possible. Great handle by him.”
BRAD BEATS THE BUZZER. pic.twitter.com/20dEbiSTxN
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 3, 2023
It was Pastrnak’s second assist. He snapped a first-period long-distance shot past Woll, too. Saturday was Pastrnak at his best: 3 points, 10 shots, 23:10 of ice time. Montgomery’s only complaint was that he couldn’t get Pastrnak more shifts.
“You’re trying to balance how much you play him,” Montgomery said, “with getting other people on the ice. That’s the tough part.”
Advertisement
As for Marchand, it was a pleasing ending after a disappointing final minute of the third. Marchand was on the ice for Auston Matthews’ six-on-five tying goal with 5.7 seconds remaining in regulation. It was the second time in seven games the Bruins gave up a last-minute tying goal. Nov. 20, after tying the score at 4-4, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Bruins in overtime.
Marchand entered the game with the knowledge that the Leafs were not happy with him in their last meeting. Nov. 2, video showed that Marchand and Ryan Reaves exchanged words — Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe also had something to say — after the left wing’s full-speed tangle with Timothy Liljegren. The Toronto defenseman sprained his ankle during the exchange. He has not played since.
Marchand was not penalized. He was not disciplined.
The Leafs, meanwhile, did not retaliate against Marchand, even though they were unhappy with the outcome.
“Their coach was being emotional, trying to get them to be there for one another and compete,” Marchand said. “That’s what good teams do. They do that. There wasn’t a response because it wasn’t a bad play. It’s one of those things that happens fast in a game. You get tied up and try to battle for positioning on the puck. Things happen. Clearly, no one thought it was a big deal. They made it out of something. Unfortunately, when you allow that stuff to leak in the media outside the room, it creates more drama than necessary.”
Some of that drama revolved around Reaves. He and Marchand agree on one thing. At some point, the Bruins captain, who carries an average annual value of $6.125 million, reminded the Leafs enforcer that their wallets were not of the same thickness.
“He likes telling me he makes a lot more than I do,” Reaves said. “It doesn’t really bother me. A lot of players make a lot more than I do.”
Advertisement
Their disagreement comes down to the timing of this particular insult. The way Marchand recalled the encounter, it did not happen recently.
“I think I said that once a long time ago,” Marchand said. “Sounds like he’s holding on to it.”
Marchand likes to back up his chirps with evidence. It would not be below him to have consulted CapFriendly to confirm that Reaves is in the first season of a three-year, $4.05 million contract. If the faceoff happened earlier, as Marchand contended, he might have cited the $1.75 million deal Reaves signed with the New York Rangers for 2022-23.
Reaves’ paychecks might not be bigger than Marchand’s. But the 6-foot-2, 226-pound tough guy’s biceps are. So as much as he would have liked to square off with the 5-foot-9, 176-pound Marchand, Reaves knows it would not be a fair match. As such, Reaves did not try.
“He’s not going to fight you. That’s for sure,” Reaves said. “You’ve just got to play him hard. You can try and bait him into whatever, but you’ve got to make sure you’re doing it smartly. You can’t take penalties because he’s not a guy that’s going to drop his gloves. He’ll try and bait you in and make you do something stupid.”
There was no silliness between the teams Saturday. Just 2 points for the Bruins.
(Photo: Dan Hamilton / USA Today)
