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The goal was good for Pastrnak’s 24th of the season.
David Pastrnak made scoring this goal look easy despite a pesky defender on his hip.
Pavel Zacha dished the puck to Pastrnak on a breakaway as No. 88 rushed past the “B” logo at center ice. The Lightning’s Darren Raddysh stayed with Pastrnak up until the Bruins’ winger got to the crease and secured just enough separation to light the lamp.
Once Pastrnak came within shooting distance, Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky simply wasn’t ready for the high-glove shot. Pastrnak lifted the puck just over his left hand and gave the Bruins a 4-2 advantage just 30 seconds after the Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov made it a one-goal contest.
He celebrated accordingly with his ice mates by letting out a scream and gliding on one knee along the glass in front of Bruins fans.
Pastrnak made holding onto the puck while simultaneously guarding himself from Raddysh look simple, let alone managing to get a half-skate lead on the defender in the nick of time to whip the puck past the goalie.
Watch the score in slow motion, which is even more satisfying than seeing it in real-time:
That goal was good for Pastrnak’s 24th of the season, just two days after being selected as a 2023-24 NHL All-Star. It also marked his 217th career goal, which ties him with Ray Bourque for seventh all-time in Bruins history.