Interim head coach Joe Sacco isn't too concerned about David Pastrnak's offensive output. Read more on Boston.com.
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David Pastrnak is in a slump offensively, and for a Bruins team in dire need of goal-scoring, his drought comes at an unfortunate time.
The NHL All-Star only has two goals in his last 12 games dating back to Oct. 29. His eight total goals this year still lead Boston, but Pastrnak hasn’t felt like the usual elite goal scorer that he’s been for some time.
And occasionally, in a slump like Pastrnak’s, the easy parts just get complicated. On Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, Pastrnak cleaned up a loose puck right on the doorstep … and didn’t seem to know what he should do next.
Pastrnak had multiple chances to score — or at the very least register a shot on the play — but instead deked himself out of position and flipped an awkward pass through the zone.
While Pastrnak’s scoring struggles are worrisome for a Boston team that’s scored two goals or fewer in each of its last five games, interim coach Joe Sacco is not concerned with his star. In fact, he doesn’t plan on saying anything to Pastrnak about the slump.
“I think that I’m going to leave him alone a little bit here, give him some space,” Sacco
told reporters postgame. “He’s certainly pressing. But, when he gets looks like that, they will eventually go in. He’s too good of a hockey player. So, just give him some space and hopefully he finds that touch.”
As captain Brad Marchand noted after the game, the goal-scoring issues don’t fall on one person. The entire team hasn’t been up to snuff in the offensive zone this season. But, a couple of wins to build off of might be what the Bruins need to gain confidence as a group.
“Sometimes goals come easier than other times,” Marchand said. “Right now it seems like we have to compete and battle and fight a little harder to get goals, which is fine. You just have to be smart about your game, and if that’s the case, then we need to be really tight defensively. … It’s really understanding how your game’s going and how you have to play to have success.”