In The Room: Zacha Grateful For Krejci’s Mentoring

Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha is loving playing with fellow countrymen David Krejci and David Pastrnak on the Bruins’ ‘Czech Line’, and he’s really appreciated the mentorship he’s received from Krejci.

“It’s been great!” Zacha told Boston Hockey Now just before he and the Boston Bruins took off for Dallas and their current two-game road trip that concludes in Nashville against the Predators on Thursday night. “Being with a player like that and being able to talk with him, and being with him in practice and now every game, especially being from the country that I’m from, it’s been great and really helpful to me, and playing with him, i just feel like he’s such a great player and playmaker. So I’m lucky to play with him.”

That was on full display again on Tuesday night as Zacha continued his breakout season by scoring the game-tying goal and helping to set up the overtime winner by linemate David Pastrnak in a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

“(Zacha) was outstanding all night,” Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told the media in his post-game scrum on Tuesday night. “He took pucks to hard areas. The goal was great, but he had a couple of plays where he was taking it to the net, and (Jake) Oettinger made really good saves on him. He was dangerous all night long. He’s one of our main penalty killers, and he’s a big part of what they were able to do (Tuesday).”

Through 53 games, Zacha now has 12 goals and a career-best 25 assists and in points with 37. He also has seven goals and five assists in his last eleven games.

Pavel Zacha, who was drafted sixth overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, struggled to find his niche and role in his first six seasons in the NHL. Even though he finished with a career-high 36 points (15g, 21a), in 70 games last season, there was still something missing and on July 13 he was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Erik Haula. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound 25-year-old forward feels blessed to play with such a Czech hockey legend like Krejci.

“He’s really popular and especially over the last couple of years, he played for the National team and Olympics and stuff like that,” Zacha explained. “He’s such a big name back home and being in the NHL for so long, and Boston too, he’s a big name and I’m just lucky to play with him.”

Zacha already knew what Krejci’s game was about from playing against him over the last six seasons, but to see it up close as his teammate and linemate has been an absolute gift.

“I always thought when I played against him he was a good two-way center and everyone knows how smart he is on the ice,” Zacha said. “He can slow the game down and for other players he gets them open with his vision and he picks the spots. So playing against him, it was really hard to play against a player like that, and playing with him, it really helps because you’re one of the players he can help to get better. So playing with him, makes your game a little bit easier. He can defend; he’s so good on faceoffs, he’s the kind of overall player that you want to play with.”