Game 5 of the Boston Bruins-Buffalo Sabres series felt like it was going to be a rough night for Boston fans. The team didn't show up for Games 3 and 4 at home, and having to steal a win on the road at the KeyBank Center didn't seem like a great endeavor for the Bruins. Then, the TNT broadcast came on the airwaves, and old coach Bruce Cassidy was on the panel, sticking the dagger in just a bit farther.
Cassidy could've been a bit harsher to the Bruins during his appearance, but he was actually the most positive about Boston's performance. He talked glowingly about the Bruins' first period during the intermission, and then picked David Pastrnak to score the overtime winner, as the only panelist to really think Boston was going to pull it off.
Pastrnak's goal got Cassidy some love from the rest of the panel, along with a free steak dinner and a bottle of wine, but it was Pastrnak and Cassidy's interaction in the post-game interview that likely raised the eyebrows of some fans. It is well-documented that the old head coach left Boston with some burned bridges, but it seems like one of those bridges wasn't Pastrnak's.
Pastrnak talked to the boys about his OT winner, what he was saying to the Sabres fans after it and shared some old Coach Cassidy stories 😂 pic.twitter.com/0UqfmBcpk8
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) April 29, 2026
Pastrnak touched on a lot of things during the interview, including a long-winded explanation of his overtime goal, telling the Sabres fans that the Bruins are coming back for Game 7 after they started "flipping him off", and the heroism and leadership of Jeremy Swayman. However, the best moment was when Paul Bissonnette gave him the floor to talk glowingly about his old coach.
Pastrnak started the story by saying that Cassidy hated him on the powerplay in Providence, which was ironic given the narrative around his tough coaching tendencies. He also admitted that the coach was the first to consider putting him on his forehand side on the powerplay, which is where he has played over the past couple of seasons.
The Bruins' Game 5 hero then said that he owed a lot to his old coach for where he is today, and campaigned for him to get a job back behind an NHL bench very soon. It was clear that the comments touched Cassidy, and he fought through his emotions to thank Pasta for the kind words.
In a world that is trying to paint Cassidy as the bad guy every chance possible, his relationship with a former player didn't look too bad on Tuesday night.
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