The Boston Bruins have developed a habit of falling behind and finding their way back.
Captain David Pastrnak believes there’s a reason for that.
Following Boston’s 4-1 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pastrnak felt good about his team’s ability to handle adversity.
“We are comfortable playing in those situations. We’re more mature than last year,” Pastrnak said, per NESN’s postgame interview.
David Pastrnak on the Bruins’ ability to comeback late in games after another comeback win tonight against the Kings 👀
The comments came after the Bruins zapped an early deficit into nothingness for the second consecutive night, increasing their winning streak to five games and improving to 7-2-0.
Pastrnak played a central role in both victories, scoring a goal and adding an assist against Los Angeles following same production in Friday’s 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Pastrnak Backs Up Bruins’ Growing Confidence
Saturday’s victory required a recovery after an unfavorable start.
Los Angeles needed only 31 seconds to grab a 1-0 lead, with Alex Laferriere capitalizing on a rebound opportunity in front of Jeremy Swayman.
The Bruins were behind through the first intermission before Pastrnak took matters into his own hands.
At 2:43 of the second period, the 30-year-old winger finished a rush with a wrist shot from the right circle, tying the game at 1-1.
The score remained deadlocked until Marat Khusnutdinov delivered the go-ahead goal with 6:24 remaining in regulation.
As NHL.com’s Dan Greenspan detailed in his game recap, Matthew Poitras helped create the opportunity after Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg failed to secure Morgan Geekie’s initial shot.
Khusnutdinov collected the loose puck and finished from close range.
Elias Lindholm and JJ Peterka subsequently added empty-net goals, turning a tightly contested matchup into a three-goal victory.
Swayman finished with 25 saves, while Pastrnak extended his point streak to five games.
During that stretch, the Bruins captain has accumulated four goals and six assists for 10 points.
His latest performance also came with additional responsibility. Pastrnak was named Boston’s 28th captain in September, placing him in a more prominent leadership role.
Bruins Complete Back-to-Back Comebacks During Winning Streak
Boston’s response against Los Angeles followed an even more challenging comeback against Anaheim.
On Friday, the Ducks scored twice in the final minute of the opening period, forcing the Bruins to overcome a 2-0 deficit.
Instead of allowing the game to unravel, Boston scored four unanswered goals, including three on the power play.
Frederic Brunet started the rally with his first NHL goal before Pastrnak tied the contest early in the third period.
Lindholm nailed the winner, and Poitras knocked in an insurance goal.
Goaltender Michael DiPietro made 25 saves to earn his first NHL victory.
In the wake of the win, Sturm credited Boston’s special teams for helping the Bruins reverse their fortunes.
“Power play was the difference,” Sturm said.
The circumstances changed Saturday, but the flow of the game was reminiscent of the night before. Boston encountered an early setback before settling in to find the decisive goal in the third period.
The Bruins also prevailed Saturday without injured center Pavel Zacha, who was ruled out with an upper-body injury before the matchup.
The victories have pushed Boston’s winning streak to five games, as the Bruins will attempt to keep that streak firing Tuesday, Oct. 20, when they visit the Dallas Stars.
Bruins $90 Million Captain Makes Claim After 2nd Comeback Win Over Kings