Boston Bruins: Pastrnak the MVP of the game against Anaheim

There was a clear-cut MVP in Boston’s win against the Ducks. David Pastrnak was the best player on the ice all game.

The Boston Bruins won their fifth game in sixth tries this season. Boston outscored the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 in front of the home crowd.

When it comes time to pick the team’s MVP, this one’s easy: David Pastrnak.

Pastrnak exploded for arguably the best game of his career. He finished with all four Bruins goals in this afternoon’s tilt.

He opened the scoring early in the first period on the power play. He took a cross-ice feed and buried it past Ducks goalie John Gibson.

Pastrnak doubled Boston’s lead in the second period. After Brad Marchand made a nice steal in the attacking zone, he and Pastrnak broke in on two on one. Marchand passed over to Pastrnak, who calmly slid it into the open net.

The Ducks cut the lead to 2-1 before the third period, but Pastrnak ended all hopes of a comeback.

Pastrnak found a loose puck after an offensive zone face off and then ripped a shot on goal. With such a quick release, Gibson had no chance.

Then, Pastrnak scored on the power play yet again for goal number four. This one was a tap in off a tremendous feed from Marchand.

The four goals are the most Pastrnak has scored in a game. In fact, they are tied for the most any Bruins player has scored in a game.

What’s most impressive about Pastrnak’s four goal output is the manner in which he scored the goals. He showcased his talent and versatility by scoring in a few different ways.

With his first goal, for example, Pastrnak demonstrated why he’s such an asset on the power play. He set up in his customary spot high in the offensive zone and to the right of the goalie. As the play quickly developed, he drifted towards the faceoff dot and then one-timed a Patrice Bergeron pass.

A play like this on the power play is virtually impossible to stop. Especially when you consider the amount of talent the Bruins have on that top power play unit.

Pastrnak’s second goal was his most straightforward, but the release on his third goal was something special. There aren’t that many players in the NHL who can get the puck on net that quickly. And even the ones who can aren’t usually so accurate.

His last goal, although it was a tap in, was Pastrnak’s most noteworthy. He battled in front of the net and won inside position against the bigger and stronger Hampus Lindholm.

Pastrnak looked like a power forward with his last goal. This is great to see from someone who most consider a finesse player.

Pastrnak’s out-of-this-world performance certainly earns him MVP honors for the game against Anaheim. More importantly, the performance shows that Pastrnak isn’t only a product of Bergeron and Marchand. He’s an elite scorer capable of leading the Bruins offense.