Since returning from their two-week COVID break, the Bruins have quickly checked off a number of items on their to-do list, especially on offense.
They have gotten to high-danger areas more. They have gotten more secondary scoring from their third and fourth lines, a trend that continued Tuesday night with three goals from their bottom six. Nick Foligno and Trent Frederic scored their first goals of the season over the weekend. Frederic scored again Tuesday night, while Oskar Steen recorded his first career goal. Craig Smith had a goal and an assist in his first two games on the top line.
One player who still needed to get going was one who rarely has slumps he needs to bust out of: David Pastrnak. Pastrnak had not registered a point in the Bruins’ two wins over the weekend. He had just two points in his last nine games going back to the start of December. He had not scored a goal during that time, last finding the back of the net on Nov. 30. It was his longest goalless drought in four years.
Pastrnak finally ended that drought Tuesday night against the Devils, and at a critical time. With the game tied 3-3 late in the third, after the Bruins had blown three leads, Pastrnak took over with a dominant shift and a game-winning goal.
First Pastrnak won a board battle that led to a good chance for linemate Taylor Hall. His shot got blocked. Pastrnak chased down the loose puck, won another one-on-one battle, and then drove hard to the net. His initial stuff attempt was saved, but Pastrnak collected his own rebound and lifted it over Mackenzie Blackwood to give the Bruins a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“It felt good,” Pastrnak said of the goal. “Obviously a little bit of a grind lately, but we’ve been playing well.”
Bruce Cassidy said last week that he thought it was only a matter of time until Pastrnak’s production picked up. He was encouraged by the fact that Pastrnak was still getting chances, still taking shots, and still playing a good all-around game.
Pastrnak still needed to get to the net a little bit more, though. He also needed to build chemistry with his new linemates. He had played with Hall while Brad Marchand was suspended, but he had never played with Erik Haula before this weekend.
Well, he went to the net for his goal Tuesday. He was also standing right in front of the net on Brandon Carlo’s goal that made it 5-3. And his chemistry with Hall and Haula is improving. They had several good offensive-zone cycle shifts Tuesday, and we already knew they could score off the rush, as evidenced by Hall’s game-tying goal on Saturday.
“A lot of good things that line will need to do to be successful, besides off the rush and just natural talent,” Cassidy said. “It’s work ethic, second effort. They’ve been doing a good job with it, so credit to them. … I think Pasta recognized an opportunity and took the puck to the net. He’s been going to the net a lot without it, maybe not as much with it lately. He did with it, and good for him. Got rewarded.”
Pastrnak believes Tuesday was his new line’s best game yet.
“I think tonight was definitely our best game out of those three,” Pastrnak said. “We were talking about offensive zone time and some looks. We hung onto the puck a little bit, had some good forechecks, takeaways in the o-zone, and because of that we spent a little bit more time in their zone. That’s positive. With a new line -- obviously I played with Hallsy a little bit -- it’s going to take a little bit of time to get chemistry, but our focus is to talk to each other and be better every game.”
The Bruins hope this will open the floodgates for Pastrnak. They also hope he’ll be able to help the team check another key box: Getting the power play going. The Bruins are 0 for their last 14 on the man advantage. Perhaps that will be the next breakthrough that comes Thursday night.
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