The Boston Bruins set out on this current, pivotal three-game road swing hoping to bank at least three points out of an available six points while fighting to hold onto their current wild-card playoff spot in the East.
The Black and Gold accomplished that reasonable goal while ultimately falling in a 4-3 overtime decision to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Monday night after blowing a 2-0 lead after the first period of play. Truthfully, David Pastrnak turned in a superstar performance to earn the B’s a point by scoring a pair of goals, including a toe-drag beauty weaving through Devils defenders before beating Jakob Markstrom five-hole with a backhanded bid.
Pastrnasty pic.twitter.com/ZQdqK7Nbio
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 17, 2026
“We knew coming in it was going to be a hard road trip, but we got a point [in the OT loss] and that’s big for us,” said Marco Sturm, as they prep for the back-to-back date against the Habs in Montreal on Tuesday night. “We just need to try and get some rest and get [ready for] a good one [in Montreal].
Pastrnak was creating chances all night, finishing off plays at a time when the B’s are starved for goals and just hustling to make certain that the Bruins salvaged something in Jersey for their efforts while stepping up to the role of team leader on the bench.
“This guy, he gave us everything he had…not just because he scored two goals, [but because] he was the driver, he was good on the bench, he was pushing guys,” said Sturm, effusive in his praise for No. 88 in a superstar-type effort on the road. “For me he was by far the best player on the ice.”
All of that leaves the Bruins still clinging tightly to the second wild card slot two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but just one point behind the Detroit Red Wings (for the top wild card slot) and the Montreal Canadiens (for the third spot in the Atlantic Division) team that they’re visiting on the final stop of their three-game road swing.
Taking five out of six road points would be a massive step toward locking in a playoff spot while really putting to bed any talk about struggles on the road.
“I always try to look positive. I am a positive guy pretty much always. We have three out of four points on the trip and we go into Montreal,” said David Pastrnak. “It’s going to be a fun game and there should be no question that there’s enough motivation for that [road] game in Montreal. We win and we are talking about a really, really good trip.”
Certainly, the elevated play of Pastrnak, the continued development of 21-year-old Fraser Minten as a No. 1 center and the spirited play of fourth line grinders like Mark Kastelic – with a pair of fights in New Jersey – have been sources of optimism for the Bruins.
Great tilt from Mark Kastelic and Brendan Dillon 🥊#NHLBruins | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/btpN11fkxR
— Missin Curfew (@MissinCurfew) March 16, 2026
But there have been some concerning trends of late as well when it comes to the B’s play since coming out of the Olympic break.
Jonathan Aspirot has experienced some