No members of the Boston Bruins left the IIHF World Championships in Finland with a gold medal, but two had a chance to leave with bronze.
Only one could between David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman, who faced off against one another Sunday in the third-place game between Czechia and the United States. Thanks in large part to Pastrnak, the Czechs left the tournament on a high note with an 8-4 victory over the Americans on Sunday, claiming the bronze medal behind a hat trick from the Bruins' forward.
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Pastrnak helped Czechia overcome a 3-2 deficit after the second period, scoring all three of his goals in the final frame to help his homeland to its best finish at worlds since 2012 and denying the U.S. a shot at medaling.
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Pastrnak, who joined Czechia's roster only after the Bruins were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finished the tournament with seven goals and three assists for 10 points in just nine games, finishing ninth in scoring. His national teammate, former Boston star David Krecji, tied for fifth in scoring with three goals and nine assists for 12 points.
Swayman allowed seven goals in the bronze medal game but still finished with respectable totals for the tournament in his international debut, posting a .909 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average to go along with shutouts over Great Britain and Switzerland.
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Former Bruins forward Karson Kuhlman, who was claimed by the Seattle Kraken off waivers in January, scored twice for the Americans in the bronze medal game.
Host Finland won the gold medal game over Canada, 4-3 in overtime. The Finns have now won two of the last three tournaments, with Sunday serving as a rubber match of sorts; Finland had defeated Canada in 2019 but lost to the Canadians in 2021, giving the Finns four gold medals at worlds in all.