For the third time this week, the Bruins lost in either overtime or a shootout, this time falling to the Golden Knights, 2-1, in overtime on Thursday night in Vegas.
And for the third time this week, David Pastrnak found himself at the center of the extra time action for the wrong reasons.
On Monday in Colorado, Pastrnak's shootout attempt – a seemingly casual shot that Alexandar Georgiev easily turned aside by closing his five-hole – became a story and a source of criticism. On Tuesday in Arizona, Pastrnak couldn't convert on a pair of breakaways in overtime that would have given the Bruins the win.
Then came Thursday. On the Golden Knights' winning goal, Mark Stone skated right around Pastrnak in the neutral zone, setting up a way-too-easy 2-on-1 that Alex Pietrangelo finished off.
The criticism of Pastrnak's effort on social media was immediate. If sports radio takes a break from Bill Belichick/Jerod Mayo talk at any point Friday, he'll likely be criticized there, too. Mike Milbury already ripped him as being "asleep at the switch" on The Greg Hill Show Friday morning.
It's been a frustrating week for Pastrnak even beyond what's happened in overtimes and shootouts. While he does have a goal and an assist on this road trip, he's also a minus-6 in three games. On Thursday, he landed nine shots on goal but couldn't find the back of the net.
So, what do we make of all this? Let's start where much of this criticism started: that shootout attempt on Monday night.
Quite frankly, some of the hot takes that followed that attempt – from "Pastrnak wasn't trying to score" to "Pastrnak should be benched/suspended for a game" – were straight-up embarrassing.
Pastrnak was 3-for-3 on shootout and penalty shot attempts this season prior to Monday. Two of those goals were scored on the same move: that one where Pastrnak glides in, hides the puck off his hip, and then quickly and seemingly nonchalantly snaps it past the goalie. This one:
For anyone who had seen those two attempts, it shouldn't have been that hard to understand what Pastrnak was trying to do Monday. It's the same kind of approach, except instead of winding up the hard snap shot and shooting glove-side, he tries to trick Georgiev with a quick release looking five-hole. It didn't work. Georgiev wasn't fooled. That doesn't mean Pastrnak wasn't trying to score or didn't care about winning.
There wasn't as much criticism for his two breakaways Tuesday, nor should there have been. Pastrnak tried a backhand-forehand deke on the first one; Connor Ingram stuck with him and made a nice glove save. On the second, he beat Ingram, but hit the post.
Of all of these, the one that actually warrants criticism was Thursday night's gaffe. It wasn't all on Pastrnak, as there was clearly a miscommunication between him and Brad Marchand regarding who was tracking back to the defensive zone and who was remaining up ice to pick up Jack Eichel as the trailer.
"I think there was confusion by two players about who was on the guy that had the puck," coach Jim Montgomery told NESN after the game. "They both let him go, it created a 2-on-1, and they made a good play."
Still, the check by Pastrnak on Stone was a weak one. He didn't get a piece of the puck or the body. Regardless of what Pastrnak thought Marchand was doing, you can't be doing a fly-by in a 3-on-3 situation. That's practically begging for an odd-man rush against you.
Pastrnak played well for the vast majority of Thursday's game. We mentioned his nine shots on goal. The Bruins had an 11-3 shots advantage and 62.6% of expected goals during his 5-on-5 shifts. He was dominant in the third period and helped create a couple chances that could've ended the game in regulation.
Unfortunately for him, no one is going to care about any of that. All anyone is going to talk about is his defense on Vegas' winning goal.
This is the reality for Pastrnak and many other superstars in major markets. All the great things they do almost get taken for granted, while their mistakes get put under a microscope and scrutinized.
But another reality with Pastrnak that can't be forgotten amid a frustrating week is this: There have been far more great things than mistakes.
Pastrnak is fifth in the NHL in points with 57 in 41 games. He is on pace for another 50-goal season. He is on pace to top his career-high 113 points from last season. He has a point on 42% of all Bruins goals this season. He is playing a career-high 20:02 per game.
The Bruins would not be anywhere close to the top of the Eastern Conference – which is where they still are despite three straight losses – without Pastrnak. Given the way forward contracts continue to rise – William Nylander just got $11.5 million per year – Pastrnak is worth every penny of the $11.25 million he's getting. On the list of this Bruins team's issues, he is down at the very bottom along with the goaltending.
It's fine to say Pastrnak has had a tough week. It's OK to criticize his effort on Vegas' winner Thursday. But let's not go crazy here. Bad plays, days and weeks happen, even for one of the very best players in the world.
