Pastrnak makes history in Game 2 vs Maple Leafs

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BOSTON -- The talking points from the Bruins' 7-3 victory over the Maple Leafs Saturday, which gives them a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series:

GOLD STAR: David Pastrnak isn’t just dominating, he’s making history. Pastrnak is the first Bruin to put up six points (three goals, three assists) in a single playoff game since Rick Middleton in 1983, and, at age 21 (he won't turn 22 until May 25) is the youngest player ever in the NHL to post nine points through the first two games of a Stanley Cup postseason. Pastrnak was flashy and electric, with dangling flare, while scoring the goals that both opened and closed Boston’s scoring, and he completely broke open a game that the Maple Leafs really had to have. The first goal was an athletic show of great hands after a Torey Krug cross-ice pass was knocked up in the air: Pastrnak collected the puck in the slot, immediately dangled around Frederik Andersen and then snapped a shot into the empty net. Pastrnak finished with the three goals, six points and a plus-5 rating in 15:46 of ice time along with four shots on net, and is going to be front and center in the NHL world now while doing all of this against Toronto. 

FROM DJ BEAN

BLACK EYE: Andersen has been pretty bad through the first two games of the series, and looks like a goaltender who might have been ridden a little too hard during the regular season. He allowed five goals in Game 1 on Thursday night, giving up rebounds and surrendering a bad-angle David Krejci shot that was banked off his back and into the net. It was a lot worse on Saturday night in Game 2, as Andersen gave up three goals on the first five shots he faced, and then was pulled for the night. Only one of the three was really his fault, but the Leafs would have needed him to be superhuman in order to make a difference in such a poor team defensive effort on Saturday night. The question is whether Andersen is truly fatigued, or just having a really rought start to the series. 

TURNING POINT: The Bruins came out of the gate strong after weathering a very small mini-storm from Toronto to start the game, and scored four goals in the first period before the Leafs even got their footing. The first two goals arrived in the first half of the first period, and then the final two first-period scores came within three minutes of each other. The Bruins ended the period outshooting the Leafs by just an 8-6 margin, but it was all about making the right plays at the right times to take a lead they weren’t going to surrender. Interesting that the B's had struggled to get early leads in their final handful of regular-season games, but have jumped out to big early leads in each of their first two playoff games this spring. 

HONORABLE MENTION: Krug has been on the delivering end of a number of very good passes that have helped set up Boston’s offense over the first two playoff games. On Saturday it was his cross-ice pass that was slightly deflected before it landed on Pastrnak’s stick that set up the game's first goal. On the power play, he centered a pass to Jake DeBrusk for Boston’s second goal, then fed Rick Nash for another score.

BY THE NUMBERS: 20 – the number of points for the Brad Marchand/Patrice Bergeron/Pastrnak line in just two games.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Six points in a Stanley Cup Playoff game with a hat trick? That’s special.” –Bruce Cassidy, on the big night forPastrnak.

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