Bruce Cassidy Admits David Pastrnak’s Game Has Been ‘Off’ For Bruins Lately

David Pastrnak looked like he overcame any sort of hump he was going through in January, but then the calendar turned and February hit.

The Boston Bruins forward couldn’t stop scoring in January after being bumped from the first line to the second line. Pastrnak, and the rest of the team, looked rejuvenated and unstoppable.

But the same can’t be said for Boston’s games in February. Pastrnak has struggled, to say the least, and has turned the puck over quite a bit. He’s also passed up prime shooting opportunities and passed the puck off to his teammates instead.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy addressed Pastrnak’s struggles after Saturday’s practice.

“Right now his game is off. I think it’s clear to everybody,” Cassidy said over Zoom. “I think earlier in the year when I was asked a question about Pasta scoring I thought he was hitting crossbars, getting opportunities but was a little bit off net on some of them. I don’t see as much as that recently for him. So you always want to make sure guys are getting their opportunities. I think he’s forcing some plays for sure. Too many turnovers, too much one-on-one hockey where he has to simplify. I think that’s a product of being a creative player that wants to help the team win by doing what he does best, but how he goes about it right now I think is working against him.

“Hopefully he understands what works with his linemates, manages pucks better. The third goal the other night (against the New York Islanders), coming back does it affect this whole game? I know coming back into D zone coverage he didn’t stop in front as the first guy back and probably could have put out a fire. (Mike) Reilly gets doubled up there and the one-side shot and rebound. If he stops you’d probably clear that park so who knows how the game will turn.

“So that’s the stuff we don’t want to lose with David and that’s the stuff he’ll be held accountable for mostly. Structure away from the puck can’t change whether you’re a 50-goal scorer or a five-goal scorer. Some of the creative stuff, we have to allow him to play through. If it’s time and score situations, he’s going to get a little more rope than other guys, but that’s where the rest of his game, the defensive part and playing within the team structure can’t deviate. So we talked about that (Saturday) and hopefully it’s better tonight.”

The Bruins take on the Ottawa Senators, who are outside of the playoff picture. So it certainly would be a good time for Pastrnak to get going and go on a nice little run.

Puck drop from Canadian Tire Centre is set for 7 p.m. ET.