Happy David Krejci Day to those who celebrate.
Yet another ceremonial afternoon ended with yet another home victory.
A pair of stellar plays from David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy led the way for the Bruins Monday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators.
“I would say it was as big for [Krejci] as it was for the whole team,” Pastrnak said following Boston’s 3-1 victory. “We really wanted to get that win for him.”
Boston’s penalty kill held strong during an infraction-filled first period. The league’s top-ranked penalty kill successfully nullified Ottawa’s man advantages, including a 5-on-3 for 1:50. From there, the Bruins went to work.
Jake DeBrusk notched his second goal in as many games since returning from injury with just under five minutes remaining in the first period. DeBrusk continued to re-energize Boston’s top line all afternoon following his multi-week absence.
Claude Giroux brought the contest back to even, capitalizing off a late first-period turnover from Matt Grzelcyk.
Goals came at a premium for Boston’s potent offense. It took almost another whole period to grab the lead once again. It came with a bang, though.
From the left face-off dot, Pastrnak made his third career 40-goal season official thanks to McAvoy’s brilliant spin-o-rama assist.
McAvoy and Pastrnak went for one more, providing the insurance necessary to give the Bruins the afternoon victory. From a knee, McAvoy sent the puck up the ice and sprung Pastrnak for a breakaway third-period tally.
Here’s what we learned after the Bruins notched their 91st point of the season.
The Krejci-Pastrnak bond highlighted a ceremonial afternoon
With an open net in the closing seconds, Pastrnak easily could’ve collected another hat trick to continue his 60-goal chase. Instead, he handed the puck off to Krejci on a day where the Bruins celebrated his 1,000-game milestone.
For the Czech duo, a role reversal in the waning moments of the third period would’ve been all too sweet. Krejci couldn’t bury the rare Pastrnak-to-Krejci setup, as Thomas Chabot sealed off both empty-net bids.
“It speaks volumes about their friendship and also about the unselfishness on our team,” head coach Jim Montgomery said. “It’s been like that all year where someone’s always trying to help someone else out, not worrying about themselves.”
For Pastrnak, who spent several seasons alongside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, sacrificing an empty net goal wasn’t anything new.
“I was looking for him all game,” Pastrnak said. “We wanted to get the win for him and his family and his kids and a bunch of people from the Czech Republic.”
McAvoy is finding his offense.
Early returns aside, the three members of the Bruins’ offseason surgery club were not at 100 percent immediately. Grzelcyk caught up the quickest, with Marchand and McAvoy arriving shortly after that.
Hampus Lindholm’s impressive start to the season allowed McAvoy to slowly ramp up and return to 100 percent. McAvoy accepted the open invitation to progress at his own pace but has recently taken another step.
Now with two and a half months of progression under his belt, McAvoy’s offensive production has broken into a full sprint. McAvoy’s three assists not only extended a four-game point streak but also brought his recent output to 16 points in his last 14 games.
“I thought [Pastrnak] and Charlie McAvoy were special tonight,” Montgomery said.
The link between the two was apparent. McAvoy collected two of his more creative assists on Pastrnak’s second-period go-ahead goal and third-period insurance tally.
“I told him right away that’s an unbelievable play,” Pastrnak said. “Great pass, beat three guys with one pass. That’s a superstar play.”
With the power play still improving, the penalty kill held strong.
There’s good news and bad news: no one scored on the power play.
Boston’s top-ranked penalty kill showcased its worth in the first period. The Bruins weathered a penalty-filled opening stanza and quickly established their 5-on-5 rhythm after successfully killing off Ottawa’s 5-on-3 chance.
“[Ottawa has] one of the best power plays in the league, and we had to go 5-on-3 for a long time, extended period,” Montgomery said. “The penalty killers plus Linus [Ullmark], he was excellent tonight.”
Ullmark put forth his typical strong performance, coming up with timely stops throughout the afternoon. The Vezina favorite made his Monday afternoon bones alongside Boston’s penalty killers in the first period.
“We keep them on the outside; we’ve been very good at it the whole season long,” Ullmark said after improving to 29-4-1 on the season. “For me, it’s easier to read off…you got to be very mindful that you’re doing the right things over and over.”
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