“We proved a lot of people wrong,” David Pastrnak’s strong words after massive win

Finally, it was a little bit amusing to see Boston Bruins star winger David Pastrnak say his team beat a better team on paper in defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

“We proved a lot of people wrong,” Pastrnak told Sportsnet at the NHL’s European player tour media event last week. “Last year, we were not even supposed to make the playoffs. We beat a better team on paper (in Toronto).”

Now, it’s definitely true some NHL observers didn’t peg Boston as a playoff team last year. But after a terrific regular season that saw the Bruins finish second in the Atlantic Division – seven standings points ahead of the third-place Leafs – it’s an exaggeration to suggest the B’s were underdogs against the Buds. Boston had clearly better goaltending in Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, and unlike Toronto, virtually all of the Bruins’ key players were able to suit up for the team’s games against the Leafs.

Players like to position themselves as underdogs whenever possible, but this was not a David vs. Goliath situation. If anything, it was a case of the Bruins winning a series they should’ve won, and Pastrnak’s revisionist history isn’t going to change that fact. Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.