Boston Bruins: 2019 Stanley Cup Playoff grade for David Pastrnak

For a lot of the playoffs, the top players in the Boston Bruins line-up seemingly disappeared while the third and fourth line helped make up for certain players absences. The player to possibly disappear most noticeably in certain games was All-Star winger David Pastrnak.

David Pastrnak plays the right wing of the line that many around the league and especially Boston have named “The Perfection Line” or “The Best Line in Hockey”. Being apart of said line only means that you are expected to deliver game in a game out when the team needed it most. Unfortunately for the Boston Bruins, David Pastrnak became unnoticeable at times and led to many fans looking for what happened to the stud winger.

While it was announced that Pastrnak had re-aggravated his left thumb injury that he had surgery on earlier in the season during the Columbus series, it dated back to the Toronto series where you could tell something was up. While he eventually found his game in that series to help move on, he seemingly could not handle the puck all of a sudden or get off a shot. Which leads him to getting a playoff grade of a C.

The 23 year old showed at times that the physicality throughout the playoffs was getting to him and knocking him out of games essentially. While he did total 19 points in the playoffs, it sure felt like most of those points were put together in a handful of games.

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Much of the anger of Boston Bruins fans went towards David Pastrnak rather than anyone else on the team due to him being expected to score as much as possible. After potting 38 goals in just 66 games this season, it was difficult for fans to think any other way.

A plus/minus totaling zero along with up and down play where he would totally disappear from the game gives him an average grade of a C. When it comes to your first line that is supposed to be the best in the entire NHL, you would only be okay with a B+ at the very least. Sure, the Boston Bruins made the Stanley Cup Final, but in the end, David Pastrnak was severely out played and beaten down in series to make him disappear.

The injury can come as an excuse, but his inconsistencies dated back to the Maple Leafs series which is why it cannot work too much as an excuse.

Hopefully David Pastrnak can come back stronger next season to prove fans that he is the elite player many see him as.