The biggest offensive weapon of the hockey war on behalf of the Boston Bruins is currently the Czech line Pavel Zacha – David Krejčí – David Pastrňák, despite the fact that in some statistics it does not have very convincing numbers.
Krejčí, Pastrňák and Zacha started the season together, but then team coach Jim Montgomery adjusted the ideal line-up for a long time. Also because of the injured. The main move was Zacha, who experienced a shift in each of the first three formations, either on the wing or in the center role.
In the end, Czechs play together after all. Although Pastrňák sometimes jumps into an elite formation with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, with whom he used to dominate, he usually plays with his compatriots.
“It’s one of the funniest offenses in hockey,” wrote the Boston Globe recently.
According to advanced stats site Natural Stat Trick, the three combined to play over 304 five-on-five minutes, more than any other Boston offense.
“They really like playing together, they think about hockey in the same way. They believe that the game needs to be actively created, and they know how to do it,” described the Czech trio Montgomery. “They are also very productive and score beautiful goals. They don’t score many cheap ones.”
Not everything is dominated by Krejčí, Pastrňák and Zacha. So far, they are losing to their opponents in shots (146:162). In the so-called predicted goals, which take into account, for example, how dangerous positions are shot, then they lose with 11.96 goals scored and 13.26 conceded.
For comparison, the first formation with Bergeron, Marchand and Jake DeBrusk leads opponents in this regard 13.48 to 7.47.
However, Montgomery is not too concerned about the significantly worse numbers of the Czech trio: “It’s a line that you don’t mind that it has roughly the same chances as the opponent, because it usually does better.”
“At the end of the season, he can have a 20-goal lead over the opposition because he’s more talented than the guys he usually plays against,” the coach added.
So far, the numbers prove him right. Krejčí with Pastrňák and Zacha were involved in 11 conceded goals, but they scored 22. Relatively speaking, they are doing an inch better than Bergeron’s formation, which leads 11:6 over opponents.
These numbers also show that the three star Czechs do not defend so well, but they are much more effective when attacking. Montgomery takes this into account and gives them some leeway. “They’re the only ones who have the green light from me,” he confirmed their special status. “So Bergeron and Marchand would have it too, but they just don’t play like that.
The strategy currently works thanks to the fact that, according to the coach, Krejčí acts as a voice of reason and makes sure that his line does not attack too headlong.
Boston currently has two top formations. Next to Bergeron and Marchand, DeBrusk found his life style, and next to Krejčí and Pastrňák, Zach shined, who could surpass the goal of 50 points for the first time in the NHL.
In past years, the Bruins paid the price for the fact that they could not put together two long-term strong lines. Either they bet everything on one Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrňák card, or they improvised.
That doesn’t apply now. “The Czech line has returned the Bruins to the role of serious contenders for the Stanley Cup,” journalist Matt Larkin summed up the situation.
In addition, if anything breaks down in the first two rows, he can promote the star Taylor Hall from the third formation, who could think about a place in the elite attack in weaker teams. That’s how loaded Boston is today, at least offensively.
