Post by Admin on Oct 15, 2016 14:57:00 GMT -5
Bruins’ David Pastrnak shows big improvement
By Steve Conroy
John Wilcox
TORONTO — David Pastrnak’s first two professional seasons were little more than a tease. The elite skill level has been obvious, but so has his youth.
While his first two seasons were all French pastry, the 20-year-old Pastrnak appears to have added the meat and potatoes missing from his game. At least that was the impression he gave in the Bruins’ season-opening victory in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.
Pastrnak had two goals, two assists and a stunning plus-6 rating in the 6-3 win, but other plays were just as impressive as the gaudy numbers he posted along with linemates David Backes and Brad Marchand.
Coach Claude Julien has kept Pastrnak on a short leash at times, but the winger was allowed to run free against the Blue Jackets, because he demonstrated an understanding of what he needs to do to avoid a tug on the reins.
“The explosiveness of his game has always been there. He’s very capable of making plays, but he’s gotten stronger. And the experience he’s gained over the years has allowed him to make better choices with the puck and without it,” Julien said yesterday. “He now knows not to force plays as much as he used to. You saw late in the game that he had nothing (as far as a play), and he chipped it in and went after it. Those are signs of maturity in a player and understanding the game more and more at this level. I’ve liked his approach this year, he’s shown a lot of growth.”
Pastrnak helped himself by spending five weeks before training camp in Boston with his Bruins teammate, Czech compatriot and hockey mentor, David Krejci. The winger is far from a finished product, but his effort is noticeable.
“He got stronger over the summer. He worked hard, I know that for a fact. He feels more comfortable on the ice. He’s playing with great players, so hopefully he can keep it up,” Krejci said about the mental and physical development. “Last couple of years, he’d been making some turnovers on the blue line, and it looks like he learned from it. He’s been playing really well, not just this first game but in the preseason games, so hopefully he can keep going.”
Having played his entire career for St. Louis until this season, Backes knew little about Pastrnak. But he started keeping tabs on him at the World Cup and has noticed Pastrnak’s immense talent and fun-loving personality. On Backes’ second goal, which tied the game 3-3 late in the second period, Pastrnak did the dirty work, fighting to keep the puck high in the offensive zone.
“He’s shown that ability and willingness to get his nose dirty a lot more than he gets credit for,” Backes said. “He’s been really good, and his drive and love for the game really brings that out in him. He just loves to be on the ice and loves to play hockey. That love translates into him doing the things he needs to do to be successful. And as a 20-year-old kid, I was in school and probably would have been very lost out there, but he’s doing one heck of a job.”
Pastrnak’s first goal off a nice Marchand feed got the Bruins on the board at 2:36 of the second, making it 2-1. But his second goal — to some a meaningless empty-netter — might have been more telling about his development. In the past, Pastrnak would have been at the far end of the bench when it was time to kill the clock.
“Yeah, it was my first empty-net goal,” Pastrnak said with a proud grin. “It was obviously nice to get there. All I was doing was focusing on doing my job in the (defensive) zone, and somehow it bounced to me. But I enjoyed playing there in the last minute and would like to keep going like that.”
www.bostonherald.com/sports/bruins/2016/10/bruins_david_pastrnak_shows_big_improvement
By Steve Conroy
John Wilcox
TORONTO — David Pastrnak’s first two professional seasons were little more than a tease. The elite skill level has been obvious, but so has his youth.
While his first two seasons were all French pastry, the 20-year-old Pastrnak appears to have added the meat and potatoes missing from his game. At least that was the impression he gave in the Bruins’ season-opening victory in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.
Pastrnak had two goals, two assists and a stunning plus-6 rating in the 6-3 win, but other plays were just as impressive as the gaudy numbers he posted along with linemates David Backes and Brad Marchand.
Coach Claude Julien has kept Pastrnak on a short leash at times, but the winger was allowed to run free against the Blue Jackets, because he demonstrated an understanding of what he needs to do to avoid a tug on the reins.
“The explosiveness of his game has always been there. He’s very capable of making plays, but he’s gotten stronger. And the experience he’s gained over the years has allowed him to make better choices with the puck and without it,” Julien said yesterday. “He now knows not to force plays as much as he used to. You saw late in the game that he had nothing (as far as a play), and he chipped it in and went after it. Those are signs of maturity in a player and understanding the game more and more at this level. I’ve liked his approach this year, he’s shown a lot of growth.”
Pastrnak helped himself by spending five weeks before training camp in Boston with his Bruins teammate, Czech compatriot and hockey mentor, David Krejci. The winger is far from a finished product, but his effort is noticeable.
“He got stronger over the summer. He worked hard, I know that for a fact. He feels more comfortable on the ice. He’s playing with great players, so hopefully he can keep it up,” Krejci said about the mental and physical development. “Last couple of years, he’d been making some turnovers on the blue line, and it looks like he learned from it. He’s been playing really well, not just this first game but in the preseason games, so hopefully he can keep going.”
Having played his entire career for St. Louis until this season, Backes knew little about Pastrnak. But he started keeping tabs on him at the World Cup and has noticed Pastrnak’s immense talent and fun-loving personality. On Backes’ second goal, which tied the game 3-3 late in the second period, Pastrnak did the dirty work, fighting to keep the puck high in the offensive zone.
“He’s shown that ability and willingness to get his nose dirty a lot more than he gets credit for,” Backes said. “He’s been really good, and his drive and love for the game really brings that out in him. He just loves to be on the ice and loves to play hockey. That love translates into him doing the things he needs to do to be successful. And as a 20-year-old kid, I was in school and probably would have been very lost out there, but he’s doing one heck of a job.”
Pastrnak’s first goal off a nice Marchand feed got the Bruins on the board at 2:36 of the second, making it 2-1. But his second goal — to some a meaningless empty-netter — might have been more telling about his development. In the past, Pastrnak would have been at the far end of the bench when it was time to kill the clock.
“Yeah, it was my first empty-net goal,” Pastrnak said with a proud grin. “It was obviously nice to get there. All I was doing was focusing on doing my job in the (defensive) zone, and somehow it bounced to me. But I enjoyed playing there in the last minute and would like to keep going like that.”
www.bostonherald.com/sports/bruins/2016/10/bruins_david_pastrnak_shows_big_improvement
