David Pastrnak was in a scoring drought since Nov. 30 and was hopeful the NHL pause and holiday break would help him get back on track.
The Bruins forward took the first step in righting the ship Tuesday night when he scored what proved to be Boston’s game-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden.
All it takes is one goal to get Pastrnak going, and at some point, he will stop hitting posts and find twine. Now it’s just a matter of the 2021 Czech Player of the Year carrying that momentum from game to game.
“I think Pasta recognized an opportunity. Took the puck to the net. He’s been going to the net a lot, without it,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after the game. “Maybe not as much with it lately. … Good for him. Got rewarded and hung in there and made a high-end play.”
The individual effort certainly was there for Pastrnak on his new second line with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula. The trio has played three games together as a line and Pastrnak believes Tuesday was their best yet.
“I think tonight was definitely our best game out of those three,” Pastrnak said. “Talking about offensive zone time and some looks. We hung onto the pucks a little bit, we had some good forecheck takeaways in the O-Zone. And because of that, we spent a little bit more time in their zone, so that’s positive.
“Obviously, it’s a new line, with Hallsy I played a little bit 4-on-4 last year, so it’s going to take a little bit of time to get chemistry but our focus is to talk to each other and be better every game. It’s going to take some time to find the chemistry, but I think we’re leaning in the right direction.”
The Bruins now are riding a three-game win streak and Pastrnak and the rest of the team can keep the momentum going Thursday when they welcome the Minnesota Wild to TD Garden.
