Pavel Zacha Heaps Praise On Bruins’ Linemate Marat Khusnutdinov

Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha has been thoroughly impressed with his linemate, Marat Khusnutdinov.

Zacha is skating on the Bruins’ second line with Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt. On Thursday, the line played well, while Zacha had the lone Bruins’ goal in Boston’s 3-1 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

Zacha’s ninth goal of the season extended his point streak to two games, and after the game, the forward praised Khusnutdinov.

“He’s very fast,” Zacha said on Thursday, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think right now, he’s getting better every day. I think he’s getting comfortable making plays. I like playing with him.

“He sees the game really well. He wins puck battles, too, which, for his size, it’s really impressive how many puck battles he wins and looks for the guys right after.”

Boston acquired Khusnutdinov from the Wild at last year’s trade deadline, and he’s been an impactful player for the Bruins. He’s now playing in the top six, and Zacha is impressed with his play and how he’s handled the extra ice time.

Khusnutdinov inked a two-year, $1.85 million extension with Boston this offseason. He’s recorded four goals and five assists for nine points in 30 games this season, but Zacha believes Khusnutdinov is bringing more to the team than just points.

With the loss on Thursday, Boston fell to 20-15-0 and is in third place in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins will return to the ice on Saturday at home against the Vancouver Canucks at 7 p.m. ET.