Bruins stunned by nullified Pastrnak overtime goal in Stadium Series loss

David Pastrnak thought he had won the game for the Boston Bruins in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Taking a pass from Marat Khusnutdinov, he fired the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy at 4:38 of 3-on-3 play during Sunday’s Stadium Series matchup at Raymond James Stadium. Pastrnak celebrated with arms outstretched, but officials quickly waved off the goal, sending him to the penalty box for slashing Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser.[1][2]

The Bruins dropped a 6-5 shootout decision, with Pastrnak’s final shootout attempt clanging off the post. Frustration boiled over post-game, as Pastrnak called the call “a joke.” The incident highlighted confusion over a delayed penalty and late whistle, leaving players on both sides baffled.

The overtime sequence that sparked outrage

The play began with Tampa Bay on a delayed penalty, arm up but no whistle. Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman began skating to the bench for an extra attacker, a standard move. Boston gained possession and transitioned up ice in a 2-on-1.

Pastrnak slashed at Moser’s stick to create the turnover, earning puck control. As the Bruins attacked, referee Jon McIsaac finally blew the whistle late, nullifying the goal. Per NHL rules, play stops immediately upon possession by the non-penalized team on a delayed call.[1]

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy skated beside the ref, arm raised, asking “on who?” He expected the call on Tampa but learned it was on Boston. “We go down with the puck, so I was like, ‘Oh, it’s on them.’ Sway made it halfway to the bench and then he just blew it dead.”

McAvoy emphasized no audible whistle until after the sequence. “There wasn’t a whistle. We skated all the way down to the other end, and he blew it dead.”

Pastrnak vented: “I have no clue what happened, honestly. It’s a freaking turnover. We got a 2-and-1. A referee has an arm up and is letting it go. Sway is going to the bench. We finish the play, score a goal, and all of a sudden, I’m in the penalty box.”

The Lightning failed to score on the power play, forcing overtime to shootout.

Lightning players and coach defend the call

Tampa forward Brandon Hagel defended Pastrnak on the rush. “I didn’t really know what was going on, but I was like, ‘Dang, I got to take a 2-on-1 here.’ I wasn’t very good at it. Thank God it was a penalty.”

He noted teammates Nikita Kucherov and others backing off, sensing the infraction. “There must be a penalty.”

Coach Jon Cooper saw no issue from his bench. “We knew the penalty was being called on them. I think McAvoy was saying something to the ref. I was just shocked he didn’t blow the whistle sooner. We clearly heard on the ice on our bench.”

Cooper contrasted bench clarity with crowd confusion. “I think it was different for the crowd than for us. By the time they got to the blue line, he must’ve blown it five times.”

The full boxscore shows Tampa’s shootout win with goals from Jake Guentzel, after misses by others.

Bruins’ discipline unravels amid penalty barrage

Boston dominated early, leading 5-1 after two periods. Tampa mounted a comeback with three power-play goals in the second, including Darren Raddysh and Nick Paul tallies set up by Kucherov on 5-on-3 advantages.

The Bruins drew 10 minor penalties to Tampa’s five. Excluding goalie fights between Swayman and Vasilevskiy, Boston had six minors in the second period alone versus one for the Lightning.

McAvoy blamed the penalties for killing momentum. “It just killed our momentum. It just killed the game, really. We had complete control and then you give a team with that kind of power play a 5-on-3.”

Here’s a quick timeline of Tampa’s rally:

• 10:28 2nd: Bjorkstrand power-play goal.
• 15:50 2nd: Raddysh on 5-on-3.
• 16:13 2nd: Paul on continued power play.
• 11:50 3rd: Kucherov ties at 5-5.

Coach Marco Sturm acknowledged officiating flaws but pointed inward. “We all have good days. We all have bad days. Some calls were not in our favor. But if you give a guy like Kucherov 10 minutes on the power play, then we did something wrong.”

Broader implications for Bruins and officiating debates

The loss cost Boston two points in a tight Eastern Conference race. Despite the ESPN recap detailing the drama, Sturm focused on discipline.[1]

Pastrnak tallied an assist earlier but ended pointless with two PIM. His shootout miss added salt to the wound.

Fans and media echoed Bruins’ confusion, with social media clips of the slash sparking debate. Was it incidental contact or clear slash? Moser drew the call with two PIM himself.

Sturm’s message: improve to avoid such scenarios.

This Stadium Series thriller exposed NHL officiating challenges in fast-paced overtime. Delayed whistles risk confusion, as seen here. Bruins must tighten discipline to contend; Tampa’s power play remains lethal. Expect league review, but no reversal likely. Boston rebounds Tuesday against Florida.