Pastrnak snaps goal-scoring slump with overtime winner

Share

BOSTON – David Pastrnak’s mom had never seen him score an NHL goal in person, so it made the overtime game-winner all the sweeter when he punched home an one-timer against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Pastrnak’s mother, Marcela, was part of a large group of Bruins players' moms that attended the home game against the Wings after persevering through the discouraging road trip to Pittsburgh last weekend, and obviously came away a much happier bunch on Tuesday than on Sunday. That was thanks to a number of players including Pastrnak, who snapped a 17-game goal-scoring drought for in a 4-3 victory over the Wings while also helping end the Bruins four game losing streak.

MORE:

“That definitely felt good. I said that before. Our team, we went in and I think we deserved it [against the Wings]. We were the better team; at least that’s what I think, for most of the game,” said Pastrnak, who also reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time with the overtime winner. “You’ve got to play the right way, and obviously it’s always going to be back in your head. But I always have guys that will help me and support me all the time.

“Also, when I had that stretch with a lot of goals, I said that might happen that I might not score for a couple games. It was more than a couple [of games], but it was really nice to get that one and especially to win.”

The overtime goal was a beauty for Pastrnak with David Krejci setting him up with a perfect cross-ice delivery that opened the 20-year-old right winger up for the one-time opportunity. Pastrnak made sure didn’t miss on that one for the winner past Detroit goalie Jared Coreau. The Pastrnak strike capped off an effort where he posted six shots on net, finished with a goal and two points along with a plus-2 rating that felt much more like early season Pasta than the recent one with the offensive woes.

“I think when you look at his game, he skated tonight and he took some pucks to the net. It was just a matter of time – sometimes you feel it. He did make a couple of plays there that I wouldn’t advise on him making, but overall I thought his skating was good and there was some determination in his game,” said Julien. “So you know, you like to see him get that goal. Hopefully it gets that monkey off his back. It’s been a while and I think that he has been feeling the pressure. Hopefully that’s a step in the right direction for him, and we start seeing him put more of those in the net.”

One thing the Bruins badly need is another Pastrnak offensive hot streak that can continue to push forward a Black and Gold offense that’s underachieved, and needs natural born goal-scorers like the right winger to put the puck in the net if they’re going to push back into the playoffs. 

Contact Us