Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak named NHL’s first star of the week

Pastrnak is on fire this year, and his hot start has caught the eye of the entire league.

There’s really no other way to put it: David Pastrnak has been the best player for the Boston Bruins so far this season. In fact, he’s currently one of the best players in the NHL.

Pastrnak already has nine goals and five assists in his first eight games. That means he’s on pace to score 92 goals this season!

Pastrnak obviously won’t maintain this level of production for the entire season, but the point still remains. He’s a terror for opposing defenders and goalies, and he isn’t going anywhere.

Given his play this season, it’s no surprise that the NHL named Pastrnak the number one star of the week.

In this week alone, Pastrnak scored seven goals. He had four goals against Anaheim, two against Tampa Bay, and one more against Toronto. He also managed to rack up two assists in these three games.

Pastrnak did a lot of his damage on the power play. He had two power play goals in the game versus the Ducks and two more versus the Lightning.

Like he did last year, Pastrnak sets up in his customary spot high in the offensive zone on the power play. He usually stays to the right of the goalie so he can be in position for one timers.

This year, it seems like Pastrnak’s been a little more aggressive on the power play. He’ll drift down closer to the faceoff dot to give himself a better angle on goal. This definitely paid off so far, as Pastrnak has four power play goals already.

Pastrnak’s play this year is the biggest reasons why the Bruins have 12 out of a possible 16 points.

He scored all four of Boston’s goals last Monday against Anaheim, so he single-handedly took the two points there. Then, he scored the tying goal late in the third period against the Leafs to secure a point for Boston.

The Bruins can’t rely on Pastrnak for the entire season. He will cool off at some point. Then, secondary scorers will need to step up and help the Bruins win some games.

For now, the Bruins can take advantage of stellar play from Pastrnak. We’ll all enjoy the ride.