It was only a matter of time before Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak started playing at an MVP-level again.
After a somewhat underwhelming -- by his standards -- first half of the season, Pastrnak has really started to ramp up his scoring production in January, and the Bruins are benefitting in a major way.
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On Monday, the NHL announced its three stars for the previous week, and Pastrnak was named the No. 1 star. He tallied eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games last week, and the Bruins went 3-1-0 during that span.
Pastrnak has arguably been the league's best player this month. He leads all players with 11 goals and 22 points in January. The 28-year-old forward leads the Bruins in goals (24), assists (35) and points (59) through 51 games.
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The Bruins have played very well of late with a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games, and Pastrnak has been a huge driver of that success. But he was also putting up points during Boston's losing streak at the beginning of the month, including a pair of multi-goal games.
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And it's not just goal scoring that Pastrnak is providing the B's. His elite playmaking ability has also been on full display during this stretch. Morgan Geekie has been among the biggest beneficiaries.
The line of Pastrnak, Geekie and Pavel Zacha has been firing on all cylinders of late. The Bruins have outscored opponents 6-1 with this line on the ice at 5-on-5 over the last seven games.
Geekie scored twice in the third period of Saturday's victory over the Colorado Avalanche, and Pastrnak picked up the primary assist both times.
THE MAN CAN'T BE STOPPED 🤓 pic.twitter.com/i3MNrrpMPs
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 25, 2025
"It's clicking right now. We've been finding each other," Pastrnak told reporters postgame Saturday when asked about his line. "Pav does an amazing job. I think all three of us are connected, which is very important. On the loose pucks, we are closer to each other. For example, in the second period, I tried to make a couple moves around the blue line, and we were so close, so instead of being a turnover, we recovered the puck.
"So we are connected, we are clicking, and we know what to expect of each other. It's always fun when you have the chemistry with your linemates."
Pastrnak's offensive resurgence comes at the perfect time for the Bruins as they fight to hold on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins entered Monday with a slim one-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets for the first wild card berth.
And with seven teams in the wild card race right now, the Bruins cannot afford to drop a ton of points.
This is the stage of the season where your best players have to step up and carry the team. Pastrnak has taken on that challenge and succeeded at a high rate in January, but there's still plenty of hockey left in the regular season.
