David Pastrnak Shakes Off Massive Hit, Delivers First Goal Of Game 4 For Bruins
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- You may have heard once or twice that hockey players are pretty tough. The reputation is well-earned -- and it even applies to the highly skilled guys.
That much was clear early in Game 4 between the Bruins and the Blue Jackets, when David Pastrnak shook off a massive hit at his own blue line and scored the first goal of the game just moments later.
The hit came at the Bruins' blue line, as Pastrnak tried to start a breakout for Boston. He did, but it came at a price, as Adam Clendening had Pastnrak lined up for a mammoth hit. Pastrnak was the only person in Nationwide Arena who didn't see it coming, and Clendening delivered a bone-rattling hit.
Pastrnak, though, was able to tip the puck ahead to Patrice Bergeron to keep the puck moving toward the Columbus end of the ice. And though Bergeron was not able to score on the resulting 2-on-1 rush, the Bruins maintained possession in the offensive zone.
Eventually, once he gathered himself and picked his stick off the ice, Pastrnak joined the fray. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy sent a diagonal pass through the zone to Pastrnak, who fired a one-timer that beat the unbeatable Sergei Bobrovsky.
The goal was a significant one for Pastrnak, who had just one goal (on a deflection off his skate) and no assists in the first three games of this series. He was reunited with linemates Bergeron and Brad Marchand for this game, and it paid early dividends.
The 22-year-old Pastrnak scored 38 goals and had 43 assists in just 66 regular-season games this year. The Bruins entered the game trailing 2-1 in the series.
The Bruins went on to win the game, 4-1.
