Pastrnak Hat Trick and Strong Goaltending Propel Bruins to Victory

A strong start to the game and a hat trick by David Pastrnak paved the way for the Bruins. It was the 16th hat trick of his illustrious career and now against 12 different teams. When the horn sounded, the Bruins secured the two points and won the game 5-2. There were a lot of positives in this game and things the club can build on for their matchup on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. So here are some key takeaways from the Bruins’ victory against the Avalanche. 

David Pastrnak Takes Charge 

When it comes to the Hart Trophy conversation, it is led by Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov. However, Pastrnak is right up alongside those guys and showed how important of a player he is to his hockey club. Right from the get-go Pastrnak took charge and even kick-started the game with a goal in the opening minute. 

A great extra effort by Charlie Coyle to get the puck to Pastrnak was key to this great play. This was the first of three but this goal helped start what was a dominant first period by the Bruins in terms of finding the back of the net. Colorado responded with a strong second period but the third period became the Pastrnak show. 

Both teams traded chances but the Bruins did a great job controlling the pace of the third period. Late in the period, Pastrnak sealed the deal with a power play goal off a great cross-ice pass by Jake DeBrusk. An empty net goal was the dagger and capped off a great game for Pastrnak. His impact goes beyond the scoresheet and his hard work was rewarded. 

Pastrnak was the best player for the Bruins in this game. He had a nose for the net and wasted no time firing the puck on goaltender Alexander Georgiev. He finished with 13 shot attempts, six scoring chances, two high-danger attempts, and eight shots on goal. All of these were a team-high and his 2.13 individual expected goals blew everyone out of the water. Fitting enough, Pastrnak scored above his expected rate. In some games, you need your best players to be your best players and Pastrnak was that in this game. 

Another Great Game for Jeremy Swayman

The Colorado Avalanche are one of the strongest offensive teams in the league and Jeremy Swayman answered the bell. After being down in the first period, the Avalanche responded and if not for him the Bruins may have coughed up their two-goal lead. 

The Avalanche came out flying and dominated the entire second period. At 5v5, they led in shot attempts (28-13), shots on goal (17-6), scoring chances (17-8), and expected goals (1.38-0.59). Swayman answered the bell and came up with big save after big save but ultimately let in one goal. It could have been worse and he shut the door in the third period. 

Swayman finished the game with 1.27 goals saved above expected and a .941 save percentage. He now sees his goals saved above expected rise to 13.77, showing how good of a season he is having. The Alaskan native continues his strong case for a Vezina Trophy and was great in this game shutting down a high-octane offense. 

Pavel Zacha Line Has Something Brewing

As everyone knows, head coach Jim Montgomery is not shy about changing up his lines. It is a luxury to have a plethora of depth, but the Bruins may have something with the new look Pavel Zacha line. 

Zacha was seen centering the top line with Pastrnak but also recently was playing on the wing with Morgan Geekie slotted in between the two. A new look top line of Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Pastrnak has clicked on all cylinders and had Montgomery forming a new trio. 

The trio of Zacha, Jake DeBrusk, and James van Riemsdyk had a strong showing in this game and was highly impactful. This could be the start of something special and give the Bruins a great option up front. In this game, this line finished with the second-highest Corsi for percentage (CF%) with 47.62. Despite that, the line did a good job in the offensive zone and got after the Avalanche’s defense. 

The line had six shots on goal (tied for first among all combinations) but did their best work below the goal line. With the big body of van Riemsdyk and how unafraid DeBrusk is to go to the high-danger areas, this line did damage there. They out-muscled the Avalanche in that area when on the ice and out-attempted them 6-1. Furthermore, they led in scoring chances 7-2 and finished with the second most expected goals for of 0.45. 

This was a huge game with big results and this line has something going for them. It’s something they’ll want to carry over into Saturday night against the Canadiens. 

Bruins Enjoying Home Cooking 

After a road trip that saw the Bruins collect five out of a possible eight points, the team is enjoying some home cooking. They have won their last two games and have outscored the opponent 8-2. 

It is great seeing the team play well and overcome the adversity that they have faced. It seems regardless of what the lineup is, the players are going to try to get the job done. Up next is another era night at TD Garden as the Bruins welcome their longtime rival Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.