Pastrnak frustrated by 14-game scoring drought
After David Pastrnak scored 19 goals in his first 26 games this season, few expected him to remain on such a torrid pace.
But considering his hot start, even fewer would have expected he’d experience the kind of cold streak he’s on now.
The 20-year-old Pastrnak has gone 14 games without a goal. He’s had a few productive games recently — he notched a pair of assists against Philadelphia on Saturday and had a threehelper game in St. Louis last Tuesday — but he hasn’t scored a goal since Dec. 14 in Pittsburgh, two games before he underwent minor elbow surgery that knocked him out of the lineup for two games.
“I’d be lying if I said it’s not (weighing on me),” Pastrnak said. “But it’s nothing I can think about in my head. I have to do a better job on the ice and go to the net and get the first one. Then I’ll be back. But obviously it’s a little frustrating.”
Getting to the net is precisely the advice his Czech countryman David Krejci offered.
“Everyone goes through that. Everyone, even the best players in the league. Even Sidney Crosby,” Krejci said. “I’m not really sure (how many games he’s gone without a goal), but he just has to stick with the game plan and keep going to the net. I think he’s scored more than 10 goals just around the net. He’s got to keep doing those things that he was doing when he was scoring, and he’ll be fine. He’s a good player, and he’s playing
with good players. He just has to go to the dirty areas, but most important, just keep things simple.”
Coach Claude Julien said that it’s all part of the process for a maturing player.
“Just like everybody else who’s gone through that, eventually they find their stride,” Julien said. “I’ve tried to move him around a little bit. He’s still on the power play. We’re trying to get him to get some confidence back in those kind of things. But ebbs and flows of the season of individuals, maybe that’s what’s part of the inconsistency at times. You have some young players that grow through that, and that’s how they grow. They learn how to cope with those situations, and the only way you get better at that is with experience.”
Focus on the job
After yet another loss to a team well below them in the standings, Patrice Bergeron believes the Bruins are guilty of looking past teams.
“It’s about realizing you can’t take teams lightly or take the foot off the gas pedal for a game, for a period or whatever. It always hurts us whenever we do that,” Bergeron said. “We have to learn and realize it just cannot happen. The teams are too good, and the points are too valuable for us.”
The leadership group has not been immune to poor play in bad losses, including Monday’s 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders.
“The leadership group has to hold ourselves accountable as much as the rest of the team has to hold themselves accountable,” Bergeron said. “You have to be prepared for every game, and (Monday) was definitely one that no one showed up. We’re part of it. We’re part of the team, obviously, and we have to show the way as leaders.”
Added Krejci: “The leaders have to lead by example, not just off the ice but on the ice. And the younger guys have to follow. If everyone’s not on the same page, then it’s hard to win games. We have to get everyone on the same page.”
So is the team not on the same page?
“Didn’t feel like that was the case (Monday),” Krejci said. “It seemed like we were going in the right direction the game before (a 6-3 win against Philadelphia), and I know we lost in Nashville, but I still think we had a strong game. We had a pretty decent road trip, but we just took a step back (Monday). That’s not the direction we’re going to go. (Tonight in Detroit is) a good opportunity to get a win and try to get on a roll.”
Beleskey closes in
Matt Beleskey, out since Dec. 3 because of a knee injury, was expected to travel to Detroit, though he still might be a few days away from playing. Beleskey, Jimmy Hayes and Zane McIntyre were the only players who skated yesterday.
“I’m one day closer than yesterday, you could say,” Beleskey said. “It was kind of hard today with no one else skating, but it was another good skate for me.”
Kevan Miller (concussion) did not travel with the team while Julien did not have definitive word on whether Colin Miller (knee) was going to travel.