Talking Points: Hall, Pastrnak Power Bruins To Win Over Stars

BOSTON – Here are Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

GOLD STAR: David Pastrnak wasn’t dominant in terms of shot attempts and didn’t make a ton of dazzling plays while finishing with four giveaways, but he did make the two plays that served as difference-makers in the win. First, there was a sizzling one-time rocket that went top corner on the PP after a perfect setup pass from Hampus Lindholm in the first period.

Decent one-timer for 88 1-0 Bruins 🚀 pic.twitter.com/OJoL66uzPv

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) October 25, 2022

It was the perfect display of Pastrnak as lethal weapon on the PP and perhaps it gets the man advantage going after a slow, somewhat sloppy start to the season. Then there was the great pass to Taylor Hall for his own one-timer that rocketed into the net off a defenseman’s leg in front.

BLACK EYE: Trent Frederic has not had a terribly impressive start to the season and that continued on Tuesday night. Frederic hit a post on an open net opportunity after Jake Oettinger kicked out a fat rebound to him, and that led almost immediately to Wyatt Johnson scoring for Dallas at the other end of the ice. Frederic finished without a single hit in 11:03 of ice time and took a delay of game penalty in the third period when he threw a puck over the glass. It’s to a point where Frederic really needs to do something to justify his spot in the lineup as there are faster, better alternatives if the big winger isn’t going to play without enough heaviness and physicality.

TURNING POINT: The Boston Bruins haven’t had a ton of white knuckle one-goal games to protect in the early going to a season that’s had plenty of goals, and a lot of things go right for the Black and Gold. But they got thrown into a tight, one-goal game in the third period that they not only protected, but did so with enthusiasm as Brandon Carlo was throwing bodies around in front of the B’s net in the waning minutes before Patrice Bergeron buried the empty netter to ice the game. The Boston Bruins played winning hockey in the third period on Tuesday night and they were richly rewarded for it.

HONORABLE MENTION: Hampus Lindholm was excellent, once again, as the only Boston Bruins player that topped 20 minutes of ice time (23:06) in the win, and he set up the early power play goal when he served up a perfect pass to David Pastrnak at the left face-off circle for a scorched one-timer. Lindholm finished with a team-best plus-2 along with two shot attempts, two hits and two turnovers while continuing to be a solid No. 1 defenseman in the absence of the returning Charlie McAvoy.

BY THE NUMBERS: 3 – the number of hits for Connor Clifton, including this big, booming one on Roope Hintz in the first period that led to a quick fight afterward.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Not every game is perfect, but tonight we found a way to contribute…those two guys [Pasta and David Krejci], you saw on the power play as well…I think it’s a real positive thing that we can contribute on a night like tonight.” –Taylor Hall on his line contributing the game-winning goal as the three gel together as envisioned prior to the season.