'Unacceptable': Montgomery criticizes Bruins' slow start in Game 6 loss

Montgomery wasn't pleased with the Bruins' start to the contest, criticizing the effort from his group as they only registered one shot in the opening period.

"It's unacceptable," Montgomery said after the game. "We've got to find a way to start on time and we just got to be better. Toronto, starting on time, they're getting the advantage and the momentum."

Montgomery got a bit more specific with his censure, calling out 47-goal scorer from this regular season, and 61-goal scorer from a year ago, David Pastrnak.

"Your best players need to be your best players this time of year … (Pastrnak) needs to step up," said Montgomery. "He needs to be the dominant player that we're used to. He's doing it in flurries, not doing it as consistently as he did in the regular season."

After Tuesday's Game 5 loss, Montgomery lamented his team's effort from start to finish, but on Thursday he at least saw some positives from the second half of the game to take moving forward.

"We were a much better hockey team than we were in Game 5," said Montgomery. "Didn't recognize the team in Game 5. The last 30 minutes, I recognized the team and that's what we're going to need to build off of.

"I thought the last 30 minutes we pushed back really well, but it shouldn't take that long."

Once leading 3-1 in the series, the Bruins have squandered two straight opportunities to vanquish the Maple Leafs and punch their ticket to the second round, but their inability to close isn't an issue contained to this season.

Last year, Boston lost three straight games after taking a 3-1 lead on the Florida Panthers in the first round, and have now lost six straight potential closeout games dating back to 2022.

The Bruins aren't worried about past disappointments, though, and are keeping their focus on the task at hand.

"We're not living in the past, we're not living in the future either, we're living in the present," said Montgomery. "Right now we're not happy with our game. We're going to get ready for Game 7 starting tomorrow."