If the hockey world remembers the Czech sharpshooter primarily for his cannon shot without preparation, then on Saturday he proved to everyone that he has a much wider range of finishes. Against Detroit, he converted his second penalty shot of the season and also hit the opponent’s empty net for the second time.
Pastrňák showed everyone that even a despised kumšt, which Alexander Ovechkin degraded to a routine, can be made into art! When Detroit tried a goaltenderless game with minutes to go, he got the puck.
Maybe because he was tired, maybe because he didn’t want to risk a shot over Moritz Seider, he decided on a soft pool. He sent the puck to the other side with a rebound over the bar.
The bullet slowly found its way to where the whole hall was pressing its eyes!
“I bet Pasta doesn’t know much about geometry, but he understands it quite well on the ice,” laughed coach Jim Montgomery after the game, who certainly hasn’t seen many similar goals in his life.
The seemingly unimportant hit caused an extraordinary response among journalists. Teammate Patrick Brown asked the Czech shooter if his pool experience had paid off. He denied any special skills: “No, I’m terrible at it. I was just tight,” he said bluntly.
David Pastrnak on if he’s a good pool player after that empty-net bank shot:
“Brown asked me if I’m a good pool player and I didn’t get it. I was like, ‘What do you mean — are you trying to play some pool tonight?’
“So I told him, ‘No, I’m terrible.’ Now I got it.” pic.twitter.com/la5BvqXK6X
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) October 29, 2023
Fair enough, he found out that it wasn’t even a plan. “I was just trying to get the puck away. I had been there for a while and needed a change. Honestly, it was a happy bounce. I wanted to get off the ice and give my legs a rest,” laughed the author of 309 goals in the NHL.
He scored eight of them in eight games this season. Boston won its seventh game against Detroit (4:1) on Sunday, but scored at least four goals only for the second time. Pasta contributed two.
A few minutes earlier, he increased the score to 3:1 with a converted penalty kick. This time he did not choose a sharp floorball swing, he moved the goalkeeper and sent the puck from the forehand exactly into the wing.
“It has a lot of options. You need to be unreadable and be able to do more. That’s why he’s a world player. I’m glad we have him on the team,” Jeremy Swayman praised his friend.
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