BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — David Pastrnak embraces what comes from being the face of the Boston Bruins, heavy as the responsibility might be.
With their season on the line, leave it to the 12th-year forward and team’s leading scorer to deliver in the clutch.
Leaning on his knack for anticipation, tenaciousness around the net and ability to change course on a dime, Pastrnak’s breakaway goal 9:14 into overtime sealed a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. Buffalo leads the series 3-2, with Game 6 in Boston on Friday.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself. I’ve been through a lot in my career, so use it as motivation,” the player nicknamed ‘Pasta’ said. “But at the end of the day, I just want to play well.”
He wasn’t the only member of the Bruins' veteran core making a difference, with coach Marco Sturm also praising Jeremy Swayman following the goalie's 25-save outing.
“Big moments, big game, the big guys show up,” Sturm said. “And (Swayman’s) one of them.”
The same is evident across the league, as the first round of the NHL playoffs reaches the elimination stage for some of the teams still playing.
In Edmonton, the familiar combo of Leon Draisaitl (2 goals) and Connor McDavid (2 assists) kept the Oilers alive following a 4-1 win over the Ducks to force Game 6 at Anaheim on Thursday.
Minnesota is getting timely production from its top players, led by Kirill Kaprizov (2 goals, 7 assists), in building a 3-2 series lead over Dallas following a 4-2 win. Game 6 is at Minnesota on Thursday.
The concerns in Dallas, aside from missing center Roope Hintz (lower-body injury), is Mikko Rantanen being relatively kept in check. Rantanen has one goal and five assists on a team that's scored four goals in 5-on-5 situations, fewest of NHL teams still competing.
“It gets frustrating sometimes. But this is really not the time of year to get frustrated,” Rantanen said. “You got to just keep plugging away, you got to adapt.”
The Atlantic Division champion Sabres are in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, and entered Game 5 with just 10 players who had previously appeared in series-clinching situation.
“That elimination game was the first time for our players dealing with it,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “I think they got a real good taste of it. Now we know we got to improve in a couple areas.”
Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville's assessment was no different.
“They threw their best shot at us, and we didn’t respond correctly,” Quenneville said. “We learned that you better be ready at puck drop, and we’ve got to play that lesson going forward.”
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Series: Wild lead 3-2.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan is looking for more production beyond Jason Robertson's five goals and three assists.
“If you’re going to win a series, or even win multiple series, you need all contributors, whether they’re at the top of your line or at the bottom,” he said. “So we need a little bit more from everybody.”
For Minnesota, Mats Zuccarello was set up by Kaprizov to score the opening goal in Game 5, his first after missing three due to injury. Kaprizov added another assist and sealed the win with an empty-netter two days after turning 29.
“I can’t teach him anything. He’s got it all,” the 38-year-old Zuccarello said of Kaprizov. “He’s a top player in the league. He’s got a lot of pressure on him. And my job sometimes is to keep telling him how good he is. He’s really hard on himself.”
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Series: Ducks lead 3-2.
Edmonton’s Game 5 win was the first time in the high-scoring series one of the teams has failed to score three goals. Oilers goalie Connor Ingram was hardly tested in stopping 29 shots in his return after a one-game benching.
Anaheim repeatedly shredded the Oilers’ defensive structure and made Edmonton look flat in building a 3-1 series lead. The momentum appears to have shifted toward Edmonton, which has closed out nine playoff series in the past four years.
The Ducks are making their first playoff appearance since 2018, and their regular-season flaws resurfaced with a painfully slow start and defensive breakdowns.
Anaheim entered Tuesday with just eight players having appeared in series-clinching games. The Oilers, meantime, featured 18 players who have appeared in games when facing elimination.
“All we did is survive one more day,” McDavid said. “The pressure’s on us, but it’s a big game for them too. I’m sure they’ll be feeling that too. Closeout games are tough.”
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham, in Los Angeles, and Stephen Hawkins, in Dallas, and The Canadian Press contributed.
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