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Former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy predicted David Pastrnakās OT goal on TNT
"We're close. Heck of a coach, and pretty sure he's gonna be back on the bench in no time.ā
Bruce Cassidy was let go by the Bruins in a surprising coaching reshuffle in June 2022.
But, the longtime bench boss is still a major fan of several players on his former club — including David Pastrnak.
Appearing on TNT’s Stanley Cup Playoffs studio broadcast on Tuesday as a guest analyst, Cassidy was asked for his prediction of who would score in overtime of Boston’s Game 5 matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
“I’m going to pick the Bruins,” Cassidy told Liam McHugh, Anson Carter, and Paul Bissonnette. “I think they’ve hung in there pretty good today. I’ll take my old friend David Pastrnak.
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“He’s been good at times, a little quiet for him, but still around the play enough that I think he’ll find a way to ricochet one in off a D-man in front and get a lucky one.”
Cassidy’s prediction turned out to be correct.
Pastrnak kept Boston’s season alive at 9:14 in overtime.
After taking a stretch pass from Hampus Lindholm, Pastrnak — toeing the blue line with his skate blade — broke in against Buffalo netminder Alex Lyon.
As Mattias Samuelsson tried in vain to catch up and impede Pastrnak, the franchise winger beat Lyon with a quick set of dekes — tucking a puck past the goalie’s outstretched pads to secure a 2-1 win for Boston.
After the victory, Pastrnak appeared on the TNT broadcast and spoke with Cassidy and the rest of the broadcast crew.
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“Atta boy, Pasta,” Cassidy said. “You got me a steak dinner and a bottle of wine from these guys. Seen it lots over the years. So good for you.”
Pastrnak, who was jawing with a Sabres fan up against the glass after lighting the lamp on Tuesday, was asked by Carter about what his message was to that one individual.
“I mean, they were all flipping me off,” Pastrnak said with a smile. “Just telling them we’re going to come back here [to Buffalo].”
Pastrnak and Cassidy have plenty of history together in Boston.
Cassidy took over for Claude Julien and coached the Bruins from 2017-2022 — leading Pastrnak and the Bruins to six-straight playoff appearances and a run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
Even before Cassidy’s tenure as Boston’s bench boss, he coached Pastrnak during parts of two seasons with the Providence Bruins from 2014-16.
Pastrnak was asked about some of his favorite memories of playing for Cassidy in the pro ranks.
“We can go all the way back to Providence. I was obviously really young, so he hated me on power play,” Pastrnak said of Cassidy. “He put me on the forehand side, where actually I’m playing right now the last couple of years.
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“And he just wanted me to move. He didn’t want me to stand still on the power play. And he said, ‘[As] soon as you stand still, you suck.’ He said, ‘Just move.’ And it worked out.
Cassidy — who was abruptly fired by the Vegas Golden Knights in March after helping the franchise win a Stanley Cup in 2023 — received a stick tap from Pastrnak for his role in helping him grow as a player during his early years in Boston.
”I know — and Butchie knows — he’s been a big part of my success and growth in Providence, and then [with] Boston later,” Pastrnak said. “So he knows that. And we’re close. Heck of a coach, and pretty sure he’s gonna be back on the bench in no time.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Cassidy responded.
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