There's a reason Bruce Cassidy wasn't worried about David Pastrnak to begin the season.
The Bruins forward is beginning to find his groove and continued that trend Monday night with a three-point game in Boston's 7-3 win against the Washington Capitals. Pastrnak tallied two goals and an assist and has looked like his normal self since being moved to the second line with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula.
Pastrnak struggled at the beginning of the season and just couldn't seem to find the back of the net like he usually did. It certainly wasn't for lack of effort, though. Pastrnak constantly hit the post and missed the net on shots that usually went in.
Things have taken a turn for the better since 2022 started, and it's paying dividends for the Bruins and for Pastrnak, who has five goals in his last four games. He looks revived on his new line, too. Whether it was motivation or just a change of scenery that did him good is unknown, but it's working in his favor, and his goals look like vintage Pastrnak.
Hall and Pastrnak have a lot of speed between them and they really seem to make the other better on the ice and make the Bruins more than just a "one line team."
The Bruins are 5-1-0 since Jan. 1, including wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Capitals. Pastrnak seems to be fitting in just fine on the second line and the B's as a whole just seem to be in a groove.
While we certainly don't expect seven goals every night from the Bruins, Pastrnak showing new signs of life is encouraging, especially for someone who is just two seasons removed from scoring 48 goals.
We'll see if Pastrnak and the rest of the Bruins can carry this new-found momentum into Wednesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden.
