Bruins' third-liner David Pastrnak adds to Hart Trophy campaign in return to lineup

It isn't just St. Louis Blues defensemen that David Pastrnak has put on his back in the last calendar year. The Boston Bruins left the Czech superstar on an island last season during their trade deadline teardown, and he nearly single-handedly ruined the team's dreams of a top draft pick. Last year's team wasn't good enough for Pastrnak's play to win enough games to make the playoffs, but this year is a different story.

In the spirit of the Hart Trophy, there could have been an argument that Pastrnak was the one deserving of winning that award. The Bruins finished among the worst teams in the league, but if you're looking for the player most valuable to his team, #88 was that guy in Boston. However, an unwritten rule in all sports is that a team that doesn't make the playoffs probably won't have one of its players win the league's MVP.

Pastrnak has fallen back in the points race after his five-game injury absence, but for a player who scores in bunches, he could easily slide back into the top five before the end of the year. Everyone is going to vote for Nathan MacKinnon this season with the Colorado Avalanche's success, but he has a much better supporting cast than Pastrnak in Boston.

If the Bruins make the playoffs this season, Pastrnak has to get more love as the league MVP. The rest of Boston's roster is showing up more than last season, but the sniper has become the team's all-around leader, changing his game to have moments where he'll give Marco Sturm some two-way play or become more of a playmaker.

Bruins' third-liner David Pastrnak adds to Hart Trophy campaign in return to lineup

Look no further than what Pastrnak was able to do on Tuesday night when he returned to the lineup against the Blues. Sturm placed him on the third line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, which became a bit of a joke on social media, considering Alex Steeves stole Pastrnak's spot on the first line in his absence. However, before long, that third line looked more like the first.

Minten scored two goals on the night, giving him three in his last two games, but Pastrnak was the catalyst for both of those goals. He assisted on both for his new linemate, and Khusnutdinov had his most impressive game since before the injury. Before Pastrnak left the lineup, he had turned Khusnutdinov into a first-line center.

Pastrnak's night wasn't done. Sturm then trusted him to protect the lead at the end of the game with the goalie pulled, and he assisted on Pavel Zacha's empty-netter after nearly scoring himself. Even though it was a mystery whether he would be able to play on Tuesday night, Pastrnak managed to suit up and casually dropped three assists on the third line.

Who else means more to their team?