The Boston Bruins were able to showcase a healthy David Krejci on Tuesday night at the TD Garden. The 29-year old Czech forward had a solid preseason game against the Washington Capitals, earning two primary assists on each of the goals scored by David Pastrnak in the B’s 2-1 overtime win.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
“ is a great passer so I kind of expected him to pass to me,” said Pastrnak. “He made me turn for a one-timer, and gave me a good sauce ,I had pretty easy work. The first two periods we had some opportunities, but we didn’t score. Then it came to a player like Krejci who makes really good passes, and he made a big difference in today’s game.”
The Krejci we’ve seen on ice is a far improved version of the Bruins forward. Last season, a series of lower body injuries severely limited his production in Boston. Krejci was only able to put thirty-one points (seven goals) for the Black and Gold. The Bruins lost Krejci for thirty-five games overall, and it was one of the biggest reasons why the Bruins ended up with such a limited offense. The Bruins finished last season a woeful 22nd in offense in the NHL.
“ is arguably our best offensive player, and yeah, we missed Dave last year,” said Chris Kelly after yesterday’s practice. “There was no secret about it. It’s great to see him moving around and I talked to him on the bench, and he seemed to be feeling good…which is nice to see.”
Puck Prose
Personally, I’d say it’s a toss-up between Krejci and Patrice Bergeron on who exactly is the best offensive player in Boston.
We got to see a taste of a potential top line in Boston. Pairing David Krejci with David Pastrnak seems to make an awful lot of sense. There is a lot of chemistry between the two Czech forwards. Krejci found good speed with the 19-year old Pastrnak, and that pair could have potential with the right player to finish off the line.
The buzzword being used around Krejci’s two point performance was ‘vintage’. We got to see the better parts of Krejci game on display on Tuesday. Krejci made it look easy(even though he was playing against a Washington Capitals team full of prospects). Krejci was showing his NHL-level skills, and his teammates were happy to see him back at nearly one hundred percent.
“I think David’s goals for this preseason are to get his legs moving, and see how he feels out there. Obviously he’s one of the better playmakers in the league, so his hands will come,” said Torey Krug. “I know that you saw it in the overtime, that’s vintage Krejci right there. It’s nice to see. I know the more and more he’s skating, the better he is. He’s a leader of this team, and he’s excited about that.”
David Krejci isn’t the only excited about him being healthy. The fans are certainly excited to see him back on the ice, and ready to put up some major points this season.