Boston Bruins Forward David Pastrnak Scores First Playoff Goal in Loss to Ottawa Senators
It may seem weird, but David Pastrnak scored just his first career playoff goal Monday. It’s less weird, of course, when considering the fact that he’s only played in three postseason games in his career – all coming this year. After debuting in 2014, it’s easy to forget that Pastrnak is still just 20 years old. He’s already played in three seasons, skating in 59 goals and 123 points in 172 games. His best season came this year, however, as the 20-year-old broke out with 34 goals and 70 points in 75 games.
Already a bonafide star, Pastrnak scored a huge goal for the Bruins on Monday, completing the comeback to tie the game after the Ottawa Senators got off to a 3-0 lead to start the game. The goal came with the man-advantage and completely changed the momentum of the game. Unfortunately, the end-result was a loss. Still, that was hardly due to a lack of effort from the Bruins to close out the game.
Major Part of the Team
For Pastrnak, the 2017 postseason has already been promising. The young star has already scored one goal and three points in three games. The best is still yet to come, too. Pastrnak has been given a bigger role in each season that he’s played. Now a mainstay in the team’s top-six in crunch time, the sky is the limit for the Czech-winger.
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Few players drafted 25th overall shine as well as Pastrnak has. With his contract coming up following this season, Pastrnak is expected to see a huge increase in pay from his rookie contract. Fortunately for the Bruin, however, Pastrnak’s demands don’t appear to be too outlandish. While he and his camp could ask for upwards of $7 million per season, the talks appear to be centering more around $6 million per season. That’s not chump change, but it’s also significant for both sides. Pastrnak will get paid like a star while the Bruins will have saved considerable cap space. This wouldn’t be the first time either, after extending Brad Marchand at a discount rate.
Next: Brad Marchand's Contract Extension Prior to the Season
Nothing is set in stone for Pastrnak’s next contract. The young star could still eventually demand more money. For now, however, the indications look promising for the Bruins moving forward. Both sides will be looking to keep those negotiations stalled for as long as possible as the team looks to keep their playoff hopes alive.