The Boston Bruins advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs in dramatic fashion on Saturday night thanks to an overtime goal from alternate captain David Pastrnak in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And it turns out, ESPN’s Sean McDonough, who was on the call for the game, had a feeling the game and ultimately the series would come to an end like this.
Pastrnak did a great job early in the series to make an impact, scoring a point (either an assist or a goal) in each of the team’s first four games against the Maple Leafs, which was a big reason why the team had a 3-1 series lead after Game 4.
However, Toronto was able to contain Pastrnak in both Game 5 and Game 6, keeping him off the stat sheet in any meaningful way.
It seemed like whenever Pastrnak was able to make an impact in the game, the Bruins were able to handle the Maple Leafs. And in an interview with WCVB in Boston before the Game 7 matchup, McDonough predicted not only that Pastrnak would make an impact, but that the Bruins would “win on a key goal” from Pastrnak.
As the saying goes, the rest was history. Pastrnak scored just one minute and 54 seconds into overtime to give the Bruins the victory and an upcoming matchup with the Florida Panthers in the second round.
In a pregame interview with @WCVB ahead of a highly anticipated #StanleyCup Playoff #LeafsForever–#NHLBruins Game 7, NHL on ESPN commentator Sean McDonough accurately predicted the B's would win on a key goal by David "Pasta" Pastrnak pic.twitter.com/UnLdg2gH8J
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 5, 2024
It had to feel good for McDonough to not only get this prediction correct but also to end up making the call on the game-winning goal, which he received praise for from viewers on social media moments after the game concluded.
