Zacha’s confidence still growing
Montgomery believes he can be a 'go-to' threat
When Pavel Zacha seized the puck behind his net in overtime on Tuesday in Dallas, he could not have been more assertive.
After shaking off Wyatt Johnston, Zacha busted into the open ice, gained the offensive blue line, handed it off to David Pastrnak, who in turn played a long-range give-and-go with Charlie McAvoy before putting the cherry on top of one of the Bruins’ most emotional wins of the season.
Pastrnak’s game-winning goal would not have happened without Zacha’s decisive rush up the ice. It was an action that was indicative of a burgeoning confidence in the former Devil.
B’s coach Jim Montgomery estimated that compared to the start of the season, Zacha’s confidence level is up 70 percent.
“The exciting part about Pav is we think there’s so much more,” said Montgomery. “Like the Dallas game, I thought he was our most impactful forward in that game right from the start. He had an attack mindset and he won a lot of one-onone battles. When he’s doing that and then you combine it with his natural skillset … everyone sees the shot that’s the tying goal, but he probably attacked the net three times to dangerous areas, where he just put a defenseman on his hip and tried to take it to the far post. When he’s doing that, I know that his game is really developing.”
Montgomery feels Zacha’s biggest area for future growth is in his mindset.
“Doing that consistently and knowing that he’s a go-to player and expecting himself to be a go-to player every night. You’re not going to be that every night, but if you’re mentally engaged, we’ve seen that,” said Montgomery.
It stood to reason that Zacha would gain confidence with time. He was starting with a brand new team and, back in September, it wasn’t completely clear where he was going to fit into the lineup. He’s still a valuable Swiss Army knife at times, but he’s found a fairly regular home with his Czech mates David Krejci and Pastrnak. When Montgomery needed a goal earlier in the season, he would simply reunite Pastrnak with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. In Dallas, he reached for the ZachaKrejci-Pastrnak trio.
You didn’t have to study at Quantico to draw a line to when Zacha’s production went into overdrive. After being obtained in a trade with New Jersey for Erik Haula, Zacha — an RFA last summer — signed a one-year extension and would have been a free agent this summer. Since signing his fouryear extension worth $4.75 million a season on Jan. 14, he has been a point-a-game player, notching 7-5-12 totals in a dozen games.
Not bad for a player whose previous career high was 36 points. With 28 games remaining, he has 37 points.
“It was important to me,” said Zacha of the contract. “We talked before the season about staying with Boston for a while and when it came to the negotiations, it was really easy. They want me to be a part of this team for a while, too, so that gives you confidence that they believe in you moving forward. And signing it gives you the feeling that you’re going to be a part of this team for awhile. The trust from the management and coaches that they want you to be here is important. Every player who signs an extension, a weight is lifted off of your shoulders. You can just focus on playing hockey and focusing on getting better with the team and nothing else. It was really important that we got it done midseason and I could focus on the rest of the season and the playoffs.”
It has already proven to be a solid trade for the B’s. But just how good a deal will not be determined until a year or two from now. Presumably, Krejci and Bergeron will have retired by then and Zacha will no doubt get a shot at centering one of the top two lines. He’s certainly holding his own as a top six wing, but the challenge will only grow when he moves to the middle and the responsibilities increase.
“It’s hard to think about right now,” said Zacha. “Of course, whoever grew up playing center wants to play top six center there. And I’m lucky enough that I can be here and watch the players who’ve played the top six for 15-20 years, Bergy and Krech, who really know what it takes. Charlie (Coyle), too has played a long time there. …There’s the faceoffs and all the stuff I have to work on if I want to play top six, that’s something I think about when I watch them in practices and games.”
If his game can grow as much as it has in the last month, Zacha’s acquisition will be a home run.
DeBrusk back in
Jake DeBrusk, out since suffering a thumb injury and a broken fibula in the Winter Classic, will be in the lineup when the B’s take on the Islanders on Saturday, said Montgomery. Montgomery expects to play DeBrusk with Bergeron and Marchand and will give him him his usual special teams work.
“We’ve got to get him back up to speed,” said Montgomery. “He’s smart. He manages shifts well. I think he’s learned from Bergy. Bergy manages his shifts really well. He never really over-extends. Obviously, that’s a conversation (DeBrusk) and I will have.”
With the return of DeBrusk, the B’s sent Jakob Lauko back to Providence. …
The B’s siblings trip was a rousing success, but Montgomery conceded to some trepidation.
“I’ve got to admit, I was a little concerned going into Nashville. I know what I would have been doing with my brother,” he said with a laugh.