Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak isn’t scoring at the rate he did the previous two seasons. Pastrnak is currently on pace to finish with under 30 goals for the first time since the shortened 2020-21 season.
But the Bruins star served up a reminder Saturday night that he can still make a monumental offensive impact even when he’s not finding the back of the net.
Pastrnak turned in a four-point showing in Boston’s much-needed 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. The 28-year-old dished out three assists and tallied a goal, which gave the offensively challenged Bruins a vital spark.
“His game is all-around,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco told reporters, per team-provided audio. “We all know that. He can score, he can pass, and he has the ability to make plays. Obviously, getting him going in the right direction offensively is a huge boost for our team.”
Pastrnak set up Boston’s two first-period goals and his third helper just 1:12 into the second frame was a thing of beauty. He gathered the puck along the boards in the neutral zone and sent a perfect backhanded lead pass to Pavel Zacha, who got behind the Canucks defense before scoring.
The three-assist night put Pastrnak into exclusive company as he became the 11th player in franchise history to notch 400 career assists. Pastrnak, who now has 10 points in seven games this month, added a wraparound tally just seconds into the third period for good measure.
He isn’t scoring with the same regularity this season, but the three-time All-Star certainly is still making winning plays.
“He’s so talented, he’s so skilled and same thing, he works on his game more than any of us,” Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “It’s really awesome to see him get rewarded and we know he’s going to come up big every time.”
