Bruins’ weekly 3 Stars: David Pastrnak continues to shine — and score
COMMENTARY
It’s David Pastrnak’s show and The Hub of Hockey has the best seat in the house. The 20-year-old Czech forward continues to amaze through the first third of the season and is giving Bruins fans something to cheer for as they battle through another tough portion of their season.
Pastrnak, along with an unlikely top-six performer and a surprising veteran, highlight the latest edition of Weekly 3 Stars.
David Pastrnak
His talent is unquestionable, but if you were to ask any hockey fan or pundit their opinion on who would lead the league in goals this season, few would have predicted Pastrnak.
Entering Friday’s slate of games, Pastrnak sits tied with Sidney Crosby for the league lead in goals with 18. It’s also astonishing just how quickly the co-leaders have gotten to their goal total as Pastrnak and Crosby accomplished their goal feats in 23 and 21 games played, respectively.
Helmet taps for @pastrnak96, who is now tied with Crosby for the NHL lead with 18 goals pic.twitter.com/WfeI6koeUT
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 9, 2016
Adding five goals in three games this week, Pastrnak is on pace for a 50-goal season. This week alone he notched five in three games and came through in clutch situations, including Monday’s overtime winner against the Panthers — his second of the night — and Wednesday’s tally against the Capitals to pull the Bruins within one late in the second period.
In a matter of a few months, Pastrnak has gone from being a valuable asset into a game-changer for the Black and Gold. As the days tick off of the final year of his entry-level contract, the third-year pro will be in for a hefty raise once he seals the next document with his John Hancock.
Tim Schaller
Coming into the season expecting to compete for third- and fourth-line duty, Tim Schaller is being asked to do a little more than originally anticipated by Claude Julien.
While injuries up front to Matt Beleskey and Frank Vatrano combined with the inconsistencies of Ryan Spooner is forcing Julien’s hand in terms of personnel decisions, Schaller is finding a rhythm on the second line with David Krejci and David Backes. While providing speed and energy on line two, the Merrimack, New Hampshire native is adding an offensive touch, having tallied a goal and an assist over the last three games.
His best performance of the season arguably came Monday night against the Panthers where he tallied his fourth of the season while notching a season-high 17:13 time on ice.
In his first 25 games in Black and Gold, the former Sabre has four goals and five assists while averaging 1.68 points per 60 minutes, good for fifth on the team. Whether it’s even strength or special teams, Julien isn’t shy putting Schaller in different situations and he’s making the most of it as of late.
Dominic Moore
One of the secondary concerns for general manager Don Sweeney entering the offseason was improving the Bruins’ bottom six. He addressed that with the signings of Schaller, who has obviously since been moved up to second line duty, Riley Nash and Dominic Moore.
Of that aforementioned trio, Moore has been the most consistent presence of the Bruins’ third and fourth lines. It’s been paying off for Moore as his seven goals are good for a tie for second on the team with Backes and Brad Marchand. Compare that to last year when the Harvard grad notched six goals in 82 games with the Rangers.
His second-period goal against the Caps this week started the Bruins’ rally from three down in DC. From his shorthanded prowess to his defensive play and surprising scoring touch, Moore is an early favorite for this year’s 7th Player Award given to the Bruin who exceeds expectations as voted on by the fans.
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