Bruins called out by Jim Montgomery after choking away lead

A hat trick from David Pastrnak was not enough for the Boston Bruins to earn two points against the Seattle Kraken in the Pacific Northwest Monday night, as they fell by a 4-3 score in a shootout. 

Pastrnak broke the ice in the 1st period with his 700th career point, and would later tally again in the 2nd period before capping the hat trick with the game-tying goal on the man-advantage late in the 3rd period. The Bruins were unable to secure the extra point, as Pastrnak was denied an unofficial 4th goal by goaltender Philip Grubauer in the shootout. 

Afterward, head coach Jim Montgomery wasn't shy about voicing his displeasure over what he perceived to be the lack of a killer instinct by his team. 

“I think our play for the majority of time was really good, but not having that killer instinct,” Montgomery told NESN’s Andy Brickley in his postgame interview session. “I think this is a trip where we could’ve had seven out of eight (points) the way we played.”

Meanwhile, captain Brad Marchand echoed his coach's sentiments, saying they could have amassed a better record on their road swing that saw them claim five of a possible eight points. 

“We had a decent road trip. We should have done better. Could have done worse,” Marchand told reporters. “Definitely some areas we need to continue to improve upon. Can’t let games slip away from us. It happened a couple of times on this trip. So, it’s good to get five of eight, but we should have had more.”

The defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights will come to TD Garden on Thursday night in what will be Boston's first game back on home ice since their road trip. 

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