David Pastrnak thrives in one-on-one situations
David Pastrnak always plays with exuberance. But the 20-year-old’s vibrance becomes enhanced when the puck is on his stick and one defender stands between him and the net.
“I love it. I love one-on-one,” said Pastrnak, who noted Sidney Crosby and John Tavares among the best in the business. “Ever since I was a kid, I love it. I played a lot of one-on-one when I was a kid against other kids. I love one-on-one. That was my favorite drill.”
There are players who are good at beating opponents head to head. Ex-Bruin Blake Wheeler is an almost unstoppable mixture of size (6 feet 5 inches, 225 pounds) and strength on the puck when he accelerates to highway speed. Former Boston College forward Johnny Gaudreau employs slipperiness and deception to make defenders swing and miss.
“I think he’s a threat to blow right by you or dangle you, for lack of a better term,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “That’s the tough matchup. Some guys you know have got great speed, but they’re not going to try [dangling]. That’s what they’re going to use. Whereas he’s kind of a two-pronged attack guy. That’s why as a defender, you just don’t know what’s coming. Other guys have nifty hands, but they can’t accelerate. He can do both.”
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