Boston Bruins superstar puts officiating on blast after loss to Buffalo Sabres

In the overall big picture, there was not much on the line Monday night at the TD Garden when the Boston Bruins hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Sure, the Bruins entered the game only four points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot, but to get there, the Black and Gold would need to jump over five teams. With 14 games left, it’s doubtful to see that happen. Stranger things have happened, but with the way the 2024-25 season is playing out, it’s highly unlikely.

Tied 2-2 through regulation, the game went to overtime and Buffalo scored with 10.7 seconds left in the extra session and on the power play for a 3-2 victory. Following the game, Bruins superstar David Pastrnak was upset with the officiating and who could blame him? It’s not that there was a minor penalty called on Marat Khusnutdinov, but it was what happened before that that caught the ire of Boston’s forward.

Bruins David Pastrnak calls out officiating after OT loss to Sabres

Before Husnutdinov was called for his tripping penalty, Mason Lohrei was in front of the Bruins net, and Tuch skated by and dropped him, which would be an interference penalty. Nothing. Going back shortly before that in overtime, Boston broke out of the defensive zone, 2-on-1, and Buffalo had a very early change that led them to have four players on the ice. Nothing.

“I felt like if anybody should get power plays in overtime, it should have been us,’’ said Pastrnak. “I think they’d been having power plays all game long so that’s just my opinion and that’s why I was mad. Frustrating that they got the power play opportunity in overtime, but at the same time we made the mistakes on the puck to make it happen.”

He would be correct with his opinion in this situation. He is likely calling out he interference penalty on Lohrei that wasn’t called. When the whistle blew, he skated right to the official to voice his opinion, which was correct. Then while on the power play late in the game, Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo covered the puck and Buffalo players repeatedly kept poking and slashing at it and the officials choose to look the other way.

“Then Korpi got slashed when he had covered the puck twice on the power play,’’ Pastrnak said. “They could have evened it up and they decided to look away.”

Again, it was a good thing that not much was on the line. It’s understandable the frustration that Pastrnak and the Bruins have, but remember, these same officials will be officiating Stanley Cup Playoff games deep into the spring. Imagine if some of those calls go uncalled in a game that decides a postseason game. A big yikes.