BOSTON — If you’ve been keeping up with the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup playoff run, you’ve likely noticed David Pastrnak not being his usual self.
The young winger, who finished the 2018-19 regular season with 81 points, struggled mightily to find the back of the net, and often elected to not shoot the puck. It got to the point that head coach Bruce Cassidy moved him off the top line in hopes it maybe would help break Pastrnak out of the slump.
And though he’s back on the top line, the patience seemed to work, as the top-line winger responded in Game 4 against Columbus with a two-point game and followed that up with a two-goal performance — including the game-winner — in Boston’s Game 5 win over the Blue Jackets that gave the B’s a 3-2 series lead.
Cassidy knew Pastrnak would “fight through” his slump, but if you ask the winger, he didn’t seem to feel any pressure during his rough patch.
“Not really,” he said when asked if he felt any relief. “It’s nice to score goals, but at the same time I always try to have my way. Had a good game as a line, picked each other up when it’s the most needed.
“… It doesn’t matter who scores,” Pastrnak later added. “Hockey is a team sport. And that’s how we play — as a team.”
If Pastrnak carries his momentum over to Game 6 on Monday night, the Blue Jackets could be in some serious trouble as they try to stave off elimination.
