21-year-old NHL star just broke impressive Wayne Gretzky playoff record
Big-time hockey fans already know about Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak.
The 21-year-old somehow lasted until the 25th pick of the 2014 NHL draft, then made his NHL debut later that year and scored 10 goals in his rookie season. In the years since, he has gotten even better, with 15 goals in 2015-16, followed by 34 in 2016-17 and then a career high of 35 this season.
Clearly, Pastrnak, who hails from the Czech Republic, is a star in the making. And through the first two games of the Bruins’ first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it seems like we’re all witnessing a full-fledged coming-out party.
The Bruins have held serve so far, dominating the first two games before the series heads to Toronto.
Saturday’s Game 2 victory in particular came with an exclamation point.
Boston won the game 7-3, and, at 21 years of age, Pastrnak became the youngest player in NHL history to notch three goals and three assists in a postseason contest.
The previous youngest player to record six points in a playoff game? None other than Wayne Gretzky, who many consider to be the greatest player in NHL history.
At the age of 21 David Pastrnak is making history in the NHL playoffs pic.twitter.com/ExiDUsLyzC
— NHL Chirps (@nhlchirpz) April 15, 2018
After the game, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy described his young star’s accomplishment in the perfect way.
“Six points in a Stanley Cup playoff game with a hat trick,” he said, according to ESPN. “That’s special.”
“Special” only begins to describe Pastrnak’s talent.
Take a look at his three goals, and see why the Bruins feel like they’ve got a superstar on their hands.
“A lot of people in Boston already know how good he is,” teammate Patrice Bergeron said. “I think people on the outside are getting to know.”
Pastrnak’s feat is even more impressive than at first blush. He became just the sixth player in league history to put up three goals and three assists in a playoff game — and the first since Claude Giroux in 2012.
That’s not enough?
With nine points in his team’s first two playoff games, Pastrnak tied Phil Esposito’s mark from 1969 “for the most points accumulated in the first two games of a postseason in NHL history,” ESPN reported.
Amazingly, Pastrnak didn’t seem too impressed by his own feats.
“I didn’t feel like I could get a shot on the forehand, so I just kind of spinned into my backhand,” he told the Boston Globe. “And I had a little bit of time so I moved the puck farther and got a good goal for us.”
In last year’s postseason, Pastrnak tallied just four points in six games. That disappointing performance has clearly motivated him this time around.
“Especially after last year, I kind of felt a little bit of pressure to be honest,” he said.
The series will now shift to Toronto, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday night.
We’re about to see if Pastrnak’s game can travel.
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