David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was an enthralling series that saw the two Original Six rivals go back and forth. Boston’s triumph booked them a playoff rematch with the Florida Panthers in round two. And that is where Boston’s run ended.
The Bruins lost to the Panthers in six games as Florida went on to win the Stanley Cup. Boston started the series strong as they dominated Florida in Game 1. Additionally, they staved off a reverse sweep by winning a nailbiting Game 5. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
The lack of a seventh game in this series is something Pastrnak wishes was different. The Bruins star regrets not forcing a Game 7 in that series, as he told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. However, Pastrnak understood his team was not as deep or as good as the eventual Stanley Cup champions. And he believes his team can make noise this year. “We proved a lot of people wrong, last year we were not even supposed to make the playoffs. We beat a better team on paper (Toronto),” he told Friedman.
David Pastrnak, Bruins could challenge others in Atlantic Division
The Bruins certainly made big moves this offseason to try and bolster their roster. Forward Elias Lindholm joins the team on a seven-year contract. Additionally, Boston signed defenseman Nikita Zadorov to give them added grit on the blueline.
Boston is not the only team that had an active summer, though. For instance, the Montreal Canadiens recently traded for Patrik Laine in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And the Detroit Red Wings added Vladimir Tarasenko to one of the best offensive units from a year ago.
This could give the Bruins some tough competition in the year ahead. However, other teams also lost a good deal of depth. The Panthers especially lost depth. Tarasenko, Brandon Montour, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson all left the defending Stanley Cup champions this summer.
The Bruins did lose Linus Ullmark through trade with the Ottawa Senators before NHL Free Agency. But Boston still has a lot of talent on the roster. David Pastrnak looks ready to lead a charge toward playoff hockey. He has Lindholm, Brad Marchand, and Charlie McAvoy to help lead the way, as well.
Where the Bruins finish this upcoming season obviously remains to be seen. In any event, this is going to be an interesting team to watch. Boston opens its 2024-25 campaign with a playoff rematch against the Panthers on October 8 in Florida.
