Pastrnak ends goal-less streak
It was only a matter of time before David Pastrnak broke out of his goal-scoring slump, and last night at the Garden he did so emphatically.
Mired in a 10-game drought, Pastrnak took a tremendous cross-ice pass from Patrice Bergeron on the power play and blasted a one-timer past a helpless Scott Darling in the first period of last night’s 7-1 blowout victory for the Bruins.
“Obviousy, it’s nice. It was a good PP and good battle there and a nice pass by Bergy,” said Pastrnak, who said the fruitless streak was not bothering him. “I went through it last year and I’ve said it before, we’ve been playing really well. It was way easier for me when we’re playing good.”
Last season, he endured a 17game goal-less streak and still bounced back to score 34 goals.
“You just have to keep it simple and don’t think about it too much,” said Pastrnak. “To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about it until you guys told me. Obviously, it’s been a while. But those things happen and it’s normal. But it helped that we were playing really good.”
Pastrnak also picked up a pair of assists, one of which was a pass to Bergeron on the center’s fourth goal that was every bit as good as Bergeron’s feed to him.
“Everything bounced our way and a lot of pucks went in. I think it helps that every line lately has been producing, so it’s good for our team,” said Pastrnak.
Shooting star
David Krejci is one of the most creative players on the Bruins, but even at the age of 31 he’s still pushing himself to be better.
While he was often considered a set-up guy when he had wingers like Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic and Jarome Iginla on his side, Krejci has been working diligently on his shot the past couple of years. One can often see him before or after practice taking passes for one-timers from the top of the left circle, his usual launching spot on the power play.
He was doing so before yesterday’s morning skate, taking feeds from new linemate Ryan Spooner, who was slinging passes from his usual spot just off the right halfwall.
“I just wanted to be a complete player. That was just something that I wanted to improve and I knew it was easy to improve,” said Krejci, who tied a career high for goals last season with 23. “I’m feeling good about that onetimer on the power play.”
With Spooner and rookie Jake DeBrusk on his line, it is almost incumbent for Krejci to rip it a little more than he has in the past.
“It’s definitely an opportunity,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “He likes playing with Spoons because they think the game the same way, they like to give-andgo. Krech started shooting more last year. Now with the powerplay group he’s on, Charlie (McAvoy) likes to pass, so someone has to shoot in that group and he’s starting to do that.”
Krejci was back to his set-up ways last night, picking up an assist on DeBrusk’s goal . . . .
Spooner left the game early with an injury, playing only three shifts in the third period. Cassidy did not have an update.
Spooner, who has battled groin problems this year, was seen leaving the Garden after the game without any visible signs of injury . ...
On top of the four goals and five points, Bergeron went 13-for17 on faceoffs. Sean Kuraly was even better, winning 10-of-11.
Four for Frederic
The World Junior Championships did not have the desired ending for Team USA, but at least Bruins first-round pick Trent Frederic showed off some skill in the bronze medal win over the Czech Republic. The 6-foot2, 203-pound Frederic, the 29th overall pick in 2016 that was obtained in the Martin Jones trade, popped in four goals to ensure that the Americans medaled.
“He had better hands than maybe (was thought),” said Cassidy. “In (development) camp I thought he had good hands around the net, quick. If he can bring that on a consistent basis in college (at Wisconsin) and then as he gets into pro ... even if he ends up as a third line center, it’s a valuable position in the NHL.” . . .
Legendary coach Scotty Bowman, who has family in the area, was a visitor to the morning skate with his grandchildren.