David Pastrnak is shining because he’s willing to cover himself in dirt.
The Boston Bruins winger’s linemates, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, highlighted the trait that makes him such an effective NHL goal scorer Monday, following the team’s 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Pastrnak scored all four goals in the Bruins’ victory, drawing plaudits and close examination of his skills.
“He’s always got it,” Marchand said after the game, per NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “He’s such a talented player. He’s dangerous on every single play, regardless of where he is or where he gets the puck. You’ve got to make sure you do your job on him, because if not, he’ll find himself in scoring position.”
Marchand then focused his Pastrnak insight on the 23-year-old’s enthusiasm for entering the most contested of spaces.
“That’s why he scores so many goals,” Marchand said. “He knows where to go to get the puck and he goes to the dirty areas. You saw on his fourth goal in front of the net, guy all over him. He can score so many different ways, which is really what makes him dangerous.”
Bergeron echoed Marchand’s praise for Pastrnak.
“It’s pretty special,” Bergeron said. “He’s got that talent and that instinct, but also he wants to be a difference-maker and he gets to the — I guess you’d call it the dirty areas. It’s not easy to get to the net all the time and he does and finds a way. It’s pretty impressive.”
Pastrnak scored 34 goals in 2016-17, 35 goals in 2017-18 and a career-best 38 tallies last season. His six goals on the 2019-20 season lead the Bruins and are tied for second-best in the NHL. Should he set a new career-high goals tally this season and perhaps even reaches the hallowed 50-goal mark, it won’t be a secret how, or where, he manages to do so. After all, his teammates and opponents already know where to find him.
