Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak Has One Goal, And One Goal Only For Bruins This Season

Published

3 weeks ago

September 20, 2024

Andrew Fantucchio

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AP Photo/Charles Krupa

BRIGHTON, MA– David Pastrnak is one of the NHL’s truly elite goal scorers.

His 348 career goals are the third-most in the league since he debuted a decade ago. In each of the last three seasons, he has placed in the top 10 of the league with 148 goals for the Boston Bruins in that span. In all likelihood, Pastrnak will once again be among the NHL betting favorites to win the Rocket Ricard Trophy this year.

But for all the goals he has scored in his career, Pastrnak is focused on only one this season.

“I want to win the Cup.”

Pastrnak was uncharacteristicly blunt on Friday following the second day of on-ice practices of Bruins training camp at Warrior Ice Arena.

Make no mistake, he has as much charisma and personality as ever. But as he sat in his locker, crowded by cameras and more than a dozen reporters, the Bruins star wasn’t beaming. Instead, he was burning with a new level of determination. One that was established in May after he helped the Czech national team win the IIHF World Championship in Prague, where he scored the winning goal in the gold medal game.

A closer look at David Pastrnak's golden goal! #MensWorlds @czehockey pic.twitter.com/ixmeoc5MEb

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 27, 2024

“I had my fun and had my enjoyment there, but on the other hand, I’ll use it as motivation,” Pastrnak said. “I kind of already turned the page on that and am focusing on next season. It was obviously a helluva an experience. We did it at home in front of the whole country. The country came together, and they put up a hell of an atmosphere. We were so happy that we could get it done for them. It was an enjoyable couple of weeks. It was a big win. I needed it.”

Despite all the success that Pastrnak and the Bruins have accomplished in the regular season over the years, they’ve yet to have the same experience in the playoffs.

Must Read: What NHL Network Got Wrong About David Pastrnak In List Of Top Wingers

The Bruins have failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. The last time they did was in 2019, when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals, falling to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.

To get themselves over the hump this season, the Bruins took a big swing in free agency, splurging on new defenseman Nikita Zadorov and center Elias Lindholm.

Lindholm, who was absent on Friday due to maintenance, projects to be Boston’s No. 1 center this year and has the task of feeding Pastrnak the puck on the top line along with Pavel Zacha.

Although they’ve only skated together in just one practice, Pastrnak already sees qualities in Lindholm that are reminiscent of some of his previous centermen.

“He reminds me a little bit of both [Davide Krejci] and [Patrice Bergeron],” said Pastrnak of Lindholm. “He’s a hell of a two-way player, and he has a high hockey IQ. He’s a righty, and I played most of my career with a right-handed center man, so I’m really excited. I don’t think there will be any problem finding chemistry with Lindy. He’s going to be a big part of what we do.”

No player currently on the Bruins roster will matter more to the team’s success this year than Pastrnak himself.

For all that the Bruins gained over the offseason on defense with size and strength, it sacrificed speed and skill. That decision has left Pastrnak as one of the few clear-cut sources of consistent offense, as Boston is relying heavily on their new additions and unproven prospects to fill the void.

That’s a work in progress as of right now. It will continue over the course of the next eight months and possibly longer should the Bruins play deep into the postseason.

That, however, may not be enough to satisfy Pastrnak. He wants something more.

“I’ve been here a while, and every year, we have a competitive team that is ready to compete and fight for the ultimate goal that we are trying to reach,” Pastrnak said. “Now, the additions are here. It’s just up to us now to make sure we can become tight as a group. It starts [here in training camp]. We’re trying to build something special.”