BOSTON — David Pastrnak made his Boston Bruins training camp debut Monday, returning to the ice after a week off because of tendinitis in his knee.
The Bruins forward had taken part in captains’ practices earlier in the month but was absent when the team opened camp Thursday.
The issue in his knee is not new for Pastrnak, who tied for third in the NHL last season with 106 points (43 goals, 63 assists).
“I played with that the whole year last year, so I wouldn’t be too worried about it obviously,” Pastrnak said Monday. “I spent a lot of time in the summer to make it better, and it did get much better than it was last year. Obviously it wasn’t perfect [and] it’s not perfect yet, so it was perfect timing to try to get it even better — it already got better.
“Like I said, nothing too concerning. It’s just something that’s nagging me for a very long time.”
It was also why, as Pastrnak mentioned earlier this month, he switched from running to biking for more of his offseason workouts.
Asked if it was likely to plague him into the season, Pastrnak wasn’t sure.
“I guess [it’s] just something that time will tell,” he said.
Having Pastrnak back on the ice clearly provided a bit of a lift for the Bruins, who lost 5-2 to the Washington Capitals on Sunday in each team’s preseason opener.
“Yeah, you could feel it here today … as soon as he steps on the ice, there was a certain presence we were missing the last few days,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said. “It was good energy, especially coming from him.”
Pastrnak practiced on the Bruins’ expected top line with left wing Morgan Geekie and center Elias Lindholm. He also made it back just in time for the team to start its power-play sessions, a fact that did not go unnoticed.
“It was great timing, but the schedule was Monday/Tuesday; didn’t have any setbacks, so it worked out this way,” Pastrnak said. “Happy that it was Monday instead of Tuesday. It gives me a little bit more time to get into it again.”
That’s even more pressing given that the Bruins are entering the season with a new coach in Sturm. Boston plays its second preseason game Tuesday at the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, NESN, MSG).
“It’s Day 1 for me back, so it’s nice to be around the guys and kind of get the atmosphere, feeling, and see what’s the mood and stuff after a couple days,” Pastrnak said. “I watched a couple of scrimmages, [and] the compete is here. Love to see that guys are really hungry and excited.
“So far, I think with all the new systems coming it’s going to take time, but what we can do as players is to focus on the meetings and go out there and compete and leave everything out there every day and get better.”