Bruins
The Bruins returned to Warrior Ice Arena Friday morning for his or her second day of practice at camp.
The Bruins have a brief break before increasing their reps, as Boston holds a black-and-gold scrimmage game at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence on Saturday afternoon before hosting the Rangers within the season opener at TD Garden on Sunday.
Here are some takeaways from Boston's second day of coaching in Brighton.
For Pastrnak it’s cup or bust
David Pastrnak didn't mince his words when it got here to formulating his goals for the eleventh season within the black and gold jersey.
“I want to win the cup,” he explained when asked about his priorities for the 2024/25 season.
The 28-year-old winger has achieved quite a bit in the last decade he spent in Boston, establishing himself as one of the vital touted superstars in hockey and a conduit for the Bruins' offensive power.
He already has 4 40-goal seasons to his name (including a career-high 61 goals in 2022-23) and is the primary Bruin to have two consecutive 100-point seasons since Hall of Famer Adam Oates reached triple figures from 1992-94.
But there’s one thing that has remained eluded to Pastrnak and most of his teammates: the very best award in hockey – and the distinction of being the one one among 32 teams to win its last game of the 12 months.
He got here close. Pastrnak and his teammates missed 60 minutes of a title against the Blues in 2019 – while a record-breaking 2022-23 season went up in smoke in the primary round of the postseason by the hands of the Panthers.
A brand new 12 months means a brand new starting. And though Jeremy Swayman's contract status still hangs over this roster, Pastrnak believes this team has nearly as good a likelihood as any within the spring – especially after some key additions within the offseason.
“I've been here for a while and every year we have a competitive team that is ready to compete and fight for the ultimate goal that we all want to achieve,” Pastrnak said. “So it's still early, the first few days of training camp.”
“But the new additions are here and now it's just up to us to make sure we grow together as a group – to try to build something special.”
Once the effective shooter in Boston's crowded front line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, Pastrnak has now evolved into a private O-zone machine, able to catapulting virtually any player around him forward.
Even after the departures of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci (and despite the teams' concerted efforts to strip him of his sensible one-timer), Pastrnak stepped into more of a playmaker role within the 2023-24 season, posting a private better of 63 assists en path to 110 points.
Pastrnak's supporting solid must be even stronger this fall, as Elias Lindholm is anticipated to walk with him and Pavel Zacha.
“He's got a little bit of both Krech and Bergy,” Pastrnak said of his initial scouting reports on Lindholm. “He's obviously a heck of a two-way player and has a high hockey IQ. He's right-handed — I've played right-handed centers most of my career, so I'm really excited to build chemistry between them.”
“And whether we play together or not, we will definitely have chances on the power play or five-on-five.”
Pastrnak was in a position to secure a title early within the offseason when he and Zacha helped their home country, the Czech Republic, win the gold medal on the 2024 World Championships, which took place in Prague.
Pastrnak thinks winning on the international stage is additional motivation for a star who hopes to lift the trophy at TD Garden within the near future.
“It was obviously an amazing experience,” said Pastrnak. “To win at home, in front of the whole country, and the whole country came together… It was a big win. I needed it. I enjoyed it personally. It was a big gold medal.”
“I had fun there and enjoyed it, but on the other hand I use it as motivation. It was the first big win of my career. I use it as motivation, turn the page and focus on the next goal.”
LINEUP REPORT
Here's a take a look at Boston's lines from Friday:
Group A
Zacha-Poitras-Pastrnak
Harrison-Frederic-Koepke
Tufte-Merkulov-Lettieri
Much-Nelson-Brown
Zadorov-McAvoy
Wotherspoon-Mitchell
Brunet-Bavaro
Johansson-Sweezey
Corpus Christi
DiPietro
Maier
Group B
Johnson-Coyle-Lysell
Jones-Geekie-Brazeau
Beecher-Kastelic-Duran
Harrison-Kuntar/Farinacci-McLaughlin
Lindholm-Carlo
Lohrei Bank
Callahan-Oesterle
Millman Mast
bus
Kaskisoo
Bischel
Elias Lindholm was not on the ice during training on Friday, Matt Poitras joined Pastrnak and Zacha within the line.
“Maybe he wasn’t used to the Czech pace – that’s why he needed a day off today,” joked Pastrnak about his latest center forward.
Jim Montgomery noted after practice that Lindholm's absence was only a precautionary measure.
“We're just being extra cautious,” Boston's head coach noted. “He was a little, I don't know if 'sore' is even the right word, but I told him not to practice today and take a day to rest. He'll be back soon.”
Loose Pucks
Brad Marchand, Jackson Edward and Alec Regula all skated before practice Friday morning. Marchand stressed that he can be a couple of days behind the remaining of the group as he recovers from three offseason surgeries, while Edward and Regula rehab injuries sustained last week on the annual Prospects Challenge in Buffalo.
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Our initial lineup prediction in July called for a fourth line of Max Jones, Mark Kastelic and Johnny Beecher. All three skaters have had very pleasing performances thus far, but Riley Duran continues to impress. The Woburn native already has loads of momentum on his side and gave the impression of a natural slot in two practices with Kastelic and Beecher.
“I think he's adjusting really well,” Montgomery said of Duran's first return. “He's in the right spot. He's in good position. He's playing on the wall. He's playing in all three zones, he's quickly internalizing what we're trying to teach him and he's asking really good questions. So there's a lot of positives about Riley Duran.”
Jones, meanwhile, has slotted in nicely on a heavier line with Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau. We'll see how those lines change because the camp roster is broken down, however it looks like Montgomery can have no shortage of attractive options with regards to completing his bottom-six group.
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Forward Joey Abate also has grit in his game. The 25-year-old winger has thrown some weight into the combination in battle drills against Kastelic and that group. Abate is anticipated to be a reliable forward in Providence this 12 months, however it's clear that Boston can have no shortage of tough forwards available to step up if their regular fourth-line players get hurt.
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Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo led the post-training stretches for Groups A and B, respectively.
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