BOSTON — David Pastrnak is really, really good at hockey. This much we know.
The Bruins winger potted his 10th (!) goal of the season in Boston’s 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on Tuesday night. The goal was nifty, to say the least, as Pastrnak went between his legs before going five hole on Michael Hutchinson in the first period.
Just how did Pastrnak pull off the slick move?
“Probably instincts,” he said after the game. “I was thinking about I should pass it with the backhand. Then just kind of slide it between my legs. I tried a couple times in practice. Didn’t work. But it worked today. Kind of a lucky goal.”
The tally, which marked the first-line winger’s 300th career point, earned him some pretty high praise from his teammates.
“I try and make that play all the time and just try and stuff one. But I never go through the legs, you know?” Brett Ritchie said after the game. “Every time he gets it, you think it’s going to go in. He’s obviously really gifted around the net. It seems like he can score two or three every night.”
Brad Marchand said pucks seem to be bouncing the right way for his linemate.
“There’s times through the year where the pucks bounce against you. There’s times where they bounce for you,” Marchand said. “Right now, pucks are bouncing his way. He has the ability to make those high-end plays. He puts himself in really good position to capitalize on opportunities. When you’re really feeling it, you feel like you can do anything and it’s going to work. You try things that you may not try when it’s not going as well, and they work for you. He’s proving that right now.”
But could Marchand make that kind of play?
“I knew that if I tried that, I’d face plant.”
It’s not just Pastrnak’s teammates who are noticing how much he’s bringing to the Bruins night in and night out.
“Everything catches my eye with him lately,” head Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s just on it. He’s on pucks. He’s strong. His conditioning seems great. He’s playing a lot of minutes, hard minutes against good players every night. Playmaking ability — he’s making plays as well.”
Pastrnak extended his point streak to seven games via Tuesday’s goal. He’s amassed 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) over that stretch.
He’ll look to continue his scoring ways Saturday when the Bruins welcome the St. Louis Blues to TD Garden for a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
