The goals had not been coming easily for David Pastrnak lately. Going into Monday’s 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, he had just one goal in his last six games.
And though that one was a huge goal (the 4-on-4 overtime winner in Dallas), it’s clear opponents are doing what they could to take him away from the Bruins’ formidable attack. Until Monday, he had not scored a 5-on-5 goal since Jan. 28 in Florida and he hasn’t scored a power-play goal since Jan. 22 against San Jose.
That wasn’t going to last for long, of course. Pastrnak scored twice in the victory, potting the winner and the insurance goal, both at even strength and both helped out by excellent plays by Charlie McAvoy.
“I thought he was hanging on to pucks a lot. His speed was very noticeable,” said Coach Jim Montgomery. “When he’s really on, like he was tonight, it jumps out at you. When he has his B game, it still jumps out at you. That’s how good he is. And he was just ultra-creative. I thought him and Charlie McAvoy were special tonight.”
The two goals showed the diversity of Pastrnak’s arsenal. On the first one, McAvoy made a beautiful spin move to beat his man and get the puck to Pastrnak, who finished it off with a goalscorer’s snipe from the left circle. On the second one, McAvoy sent him away on a breakaway with a pass from one knee high in the Boston zone. Pastrnak threw a shoulder fake at goalie Kevin Mandolese and slipped a backhander between his pads.
Linus Ullmark marveled at Pastrnak’s gifts.
“It’s the way he can do everything. He’s not just a (one-timer) kind of guy,” said Ullmark. “He’s got the dangles, he’s got the moves. And he’s very poised, very calm when he has opportunities. You see the first goal he had today. He had a lot of time and then he just picks his corner and rips it.”
The first goal was his 40th, the third time he’s hit that plateau, and the second one brought him to within one of Connor McDavid for the league lead. With 26 games left, he has a very good chance to notch his first 50-goal season. He was robbed of one in 2020 when the pandemic shut down the league and he was stuck on 48. He would be the first Bruin to hit 50 since Cam Neely did it in 1993-94.
“You always want to get better every year and I haven’t scored 50 yet. So it would obviously be nice,” said Pastrnak. “To me, I’m here to score goals and it’s nice that it’s going in. I have unbelievable linemates that are looking for me and it’s a big reason why I’m doing so well.”
CAPITALS: Alex Ovechkin is back with the Washington Capitals, eager to play hockey again while he and his family are still mourning the death of his father, Mikhail.
Ovechkin missed four games over the past week to fly to Moscow. He went straight from the airport to the team’s practice facility Wednesday after landing to take part in practice with an eye on returning to game action as soon as Thursday.
“Obviously it was a hard week mentally, physically,” Ovechkin said after skating for roughly 45 minutes to get his conditioning back. “It was probably toughest situation I’ve been through my whole NHL career. But it’s life, and we move on.”
Ovechkin thanked the Capitals for their moment of silence dedicated to Mikhail prior to a game last week and for the support shown by members of the organization and fans. He said he got the chance to speak to his dad by video call before his death at age 71 last week and expects his mother and brother to visit him in the U.S. soon.
MAPLE LEAFS: The Maple Leafs said defenseman Jake Muzzin won’t suit up again in 2022-23 after initially suffering a neck injury Oct. 17 in a collision with Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller.
Toronto announced in November that Muzzin would re-evaluated in February.
“After follow-up consultation this month with various specialists, our medical staff have determined (Muzzin) has been ruled out for the rest of the 2022-23 regular season and playoffs as he recovers from a cervical spine injury,” the Leafs said in a statement.
“The club will provide a further update as to his status at training camp in September.”
KRAKEN: The Seattle Kraken have partnered with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to put the tribe’s logo on their jerseys and help increase Indigenous youth participation in the area.
The Kraken will be the first team in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to feature the name of a Native American tribe, unrelated to a casino, on jerseys since advertisements became commonplace in recent years.
The multiyear agreement also involves the construction of a sports court on the Muckleshoot Reservation, more Indigenous art at Climate Pledge Arena and the creation of hockey programs for Indigenous youth in the area. The Kraken are on track to make the playoffs in their second year of existence.
TRADE: The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Nikita Zaitsev and draft picks from the Ottawa Senators for future considerations in what amounts to a salary dump ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Chicago got a 2023 second-round pick and 2026 fourth in exchange for taking on the remainder of Zaitsev’s contract.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
ISLANDERS 2, JETS 1: Simon Holmstrom scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves to lead New York over visiting Winnipeg.
Sebastian Aho also scored for New York, which won for the third time in four games and extended its winning streak against Winnipeg to six games, dating to March 28, 2019.
Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Winnipeg, which completed its four-game trip (1-3) with a loss.
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