Bruins HC Jim Montgomery gives blunt explanation for benching David Pastrnak in 3rd period
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery benched star forward David Pastrnak during the third period of Sunday night's 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken.
When pressed about the decision, Montgomery's response was notably terse:
"Coach's decision third period. That's all I'm going to comment on it."
The benching comes as a surprising development for Pastrnak, who has been a consistent offensive force for the Boston Bruins this season with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 13 games.
Charlie Coyle shares his thoughts on HC benching Pastrnak.
"No, worries, I mean do we want out best players playing? Yeah. I don't know the full extent of that and what was going on. Sometimes just so into the game, you're ready to see who you're going with next and there is really no time to kind of think." Coyle said post game.
"You know, whatever the coach says or whatever his decisions are, you know, just got to go play" he added.
Justin Brazeau and Charlie Coyle scored for the Bruins. Jeremy Swayman stopped all 23 shots he faced for a shutout. Joey Daccord made 31 saves in the loss.
Next, the Boston Bruins will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday evening at Scotiabank Arena.
Fans React to HC Jim Montgomery Benching David Pastrnak
The hockey world is buzzing after Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery made the surprising decision to bench star forward David Pastrnak.
Reactions have been mixed, with some fans applauding Montgomery for holding even his top players accountable.
One fan tweeted:
"Love it, he is making way too many careless errors."
Another fan speculated that the benching may be due to an undisclosed injury:
"Looks hurt. Lower body."
Here are some fan reactions to benching David Pastrnak:
"How’d it work out for Steve Kasper when he benched Neely? Not great lol never coached in NHL again." one fan wrote on X.
"The rumors are going to run wild on this one." another fan wrote.
"I’m not usually a “fire the coach” kind of guy, but please fire the coach. He exudes softness." a user commented.
"You might be fired soon Jim Montgomery because you’re putting a lineup for the Bruins now that does not need to be a lineup right now." another user wrote.
As the Boston Bruins move forward, all eyes will be on how this situation unfolds both on and off the ice.