The Boston Bruins have the best top line in the National Hockey League, and one of its wingers keeps getting better by the day.
David Pastrnak plays like he is well into his prime, but in fact the 21-year-old still is finding his way in the NHL. Nevertheless, he keeps showing why he’s one of the league’s bright young talents, putting his skills on full display regularly thus far in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In his most recent exhibition, Pastrnak provided assists on four goals in the B’s second-round Game 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
While there are plenty of areas Pastrnak has improved upon on during his time in the pros, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated Sunday that the winger’s playmaking ability as a result of his patience, and his strength with the puck has been integral in his success.
“He’s just playing what’s in front of him,” Cassidy said, via Bruins.com. “If it’s time to shoot, he’ll shoot. Pasta certainly has the ability to make high-end plays, and I think he thinks shot first a lot, but (Saturday) the plays were there to be made.
“Look at the backdoor play he made to Jake (DeBrusk) in Game 7 (against) Toronto … in the past, I think he’d probably look to pound that, now he’s maybe exploring all of his options. I think he’s stronger on the puck now, so he has it longer.
“Maybe before he was shooting because he knew he wouldn’t have it long,” Cassidy continued. “Now, he’s able to have the confidence to hang onto it knowing he could absorb some of these hits or partial hits and still make the play.”
Pastrnak currently leads in NHL in scoring this postseason with 17 points on five goals and a league-high 12 assists. While plenty of that can be attributed to the quality of talent of his linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, it’s quite clear he’s not just riding their coattails.
Though the Bruins lead their series against the Bolts 1-0, their work is hardly over. And if they want to make a deep run this postseason, they’ll need Pastrnak to continue to display that patience and playmaking ability on a daily basis.
