November 10, 2018 versus Toronto Maple Leafs
Any hat-trick against the Maple Leafs deserves a decent mention. Not least one that where we dominated them 5-1.
David Pastrnak not only came away from this one with the two power-play markers, one of which was the game-winning goal, but his assist also ensured a four-point night.
Pastrnak’s first of the night came on the back of an aggressive zone entry and creating pressure even when the puck skipped on him. He then remained in the zone with Patrice Bergeron making the puck retrieval and sliding a perfect pass that he went bar-down on to beat Garret Sparks in the Leafs’ net.
The goal was a real momentum-killer for a Maple Leafs team that had actually looked impressive in the first period and seemed a chance despite entering the break 1-0 down. A goal just six minutes into the second period put paid to the idea of a possible comeback.
His second was simply a case of gaining position on his defenseman on the power play; copping a bit of aggression from the Leafs’ penalty-killers at Sparks’ far post to ensure he was in the perfect spot to slot Bergeron’s pass across the crease home to make it 3-0.
Pastrnak took the puck into the offensive zone down the left wing on his third marker, making the a pass before receiving it back as he drifted just past the face-off dot and blasting it home for a second power-play goal of the night and the one that sent hats raining down onto the TD Garden ice surface.