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Pavel Zacha: Bruins’ top-six center of the future? So far, he’s been up to the task.
Zacha has scored 10 points in nine games when slotted over to center this season.
COMMENTARY
No Patrice Bergeron? No David Krejci? No problem for the Bruins.
Well, at least this past weekend.
Even with both top-six pivots held out of Boston’s road matchup against the Blues on Sunday, the Bruins left St. Louis with another two points by way of a 4-3 shootout victory. The previous afternoon, Boston bested the Penguins, 4-3, with Bergeron handed another rest day.
Some usual suspects in Boston’s lineup did plenty of heavy lifting during Boston’s four-point weekend, including David Pastrnak (three goals, four points), Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman, and a stout penalty kill (now on a 28-for-28 streak).
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But Pavel Zacha made the most of his shift back over to center, headlined by a three-assist performance against the Penguins.
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It’s a testament to the depth of Boston’s lineup that Zacha has thrived in his first season with the Bruins, posting a career-high 53 points through 77 games.
But it’s also a reassuring development for Jim Montgomery and his staff that the 25-year-old forward has looked the part whenever he’s stepped into Bergeron or Krejci’s role down the middle.
“He’s really developed the puck pressure we like to see in the D zone from a centerman,” Montgomery said of Zacha before Saturday’s contest in Pittsburgh. “And offensively, he’s gifted attacking through the middle. So we didn’t know that was a great strength of his, but it is a great strength of his. … I think he can consistently hit 65 points for us.”
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He may not have the high-end playmaking capabilities like his fellow countryman in Krejci. Nor does he possess the two-way mastery that has helped Bergeron capture a record five Selke Trophies. But Zacha’s hockey IQ and touch with the puck makes him an effective middle-six option who can do plenty of damage when paired with other high-end offensive talents.
Not only did Zacha play a part in two of Pastrnak’s three tallies against the Penguins on Saturday, he jumpstarted a B’s power-play unit that scored twice in a single game for the first time since Dec. 19.
Taking over for Bergeron in the “bumper” spot on Boston’s PP1 unit, Zacha set up Charlie McAvoy with a slick backhand feed from the slot, with the defenseman potting him a goal just 6:20 into Saturday’s contest at PPG Paints Arena.
Boston’s power play has turned the corner as of late, scoring in three straight games and cashing in on 25 percent (6-for-24) of their opportunities since March 25.
Some of that has been a byproduct of Montgomery shifting his personnel, with Pastrnak slotted higher up along the half wall and Zacha tasked with directing traffic in Grade-A ice.
Of course, the bumper spot will be Bergeron’s once he returns to the ice. But Zacha’s knack for finding passing lanes and exposing D-zone lapses is making him a vital cog in Boston’s lineup.
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A 2023 Cup run will hinge on both Bergeron and Krejci continuing to impact the game down both ends of the ice.
But Zacha has answered the call whenever he’s shifted over to center.
In total, there have been nine games this season where Zacha has replaced either Krejci or Bergeron in a top-six center role.
In those nine games, Zacha has posted stat lines of:
10/28 @ Columbus – 16:50 TOI, 1 assist
11/1 @ Pittsburgh – 16:55 TOI, 1 goal
11/3 @ New York – 15:46 TOI, 1 assist
12/11 @ Vegas – 17:58 TOI, 1 assist
12/13 vs. Islanders – 16:43 TOI, 2 assists
3/19 @ BUF – 16:29 TOI, 0 points
3/26 @ Carolina — 20:01 TOI, 1 assist
4/1 @ PIT – 15:04 TOI, 3 assists
4/2 @ STL – 19:32, 0 points
In a season where just about everything has gone right for the Bruins, Zacha’s strides have arguably been the most surprising.
Entering his eighth NHL season, Zacha’s previous career high in scoring was 36 points over 70 games. Along with his 53 points this year, Zacha ranks third on the Bruins with 40 5v5 points — holding sizable advantages over stars like Bergeron (31 5v5 points), Brad Marchand (31), Jake DeBrusk (29), and Hampus Lindholm (27) in that category.
Zacha shattering his previous scoring totals has made a top-heavy Bruins offense far more balanced in 2023. But his play at center has especially caught the eye of Montgomery, and not just for this season.
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“I think it’s been very encouraging. The Carolina game is probably the best 200-foot game he’s had,” Montgomery said of Zacha’s pivot reps last week. “He’s had a lot of games where he’s helped us at center. It’s pretty amazing how seamlessly he’s gone from left wing to right wing to center and he just keeps building our team game. I think he’s getting more comfortable in taking away time and space as the center.
“It’s a lot of work within the D-zone coverage for our centers and he seems to be playing a lot faster there, which is encouraging. His ability to make plays through the middle of the ice is high-end. He can make backhand sauce plays, forehand, so his ability to penetrate middle ice has always been something that we’ve really liked about his game.”
The Bruins are fixated on this current Cup run. But Boston’s ability to address its looming vacancy at center in the Post-Bergeron Era will be the top determinant on whether this roster can continue to contend in 2024 and beyond.
Zacha may not boast the same ceiling as Bergeron or Krejci. But if he’s stapled next to the likes of Pastrnak, DeBrusk, or Taylor Hall for a full 82-game season, he can do some damage as a second-line center.
The Bruins will hold out hope that both Bergeron and Krejci are not ready to hang up their skates quite yet. Replacing both in one offseason will be a daunting task for Don Sweeney and Co.
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But in Zacha, the Bruins have something that they haven’t had in a long, long time when it comes to the future center position.
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