Third game, third zero. David Pastrňák still does not score after an additional flight to the home World Cup. However, the Czech hockey players still benefit from the presence of the superstar.
At the end of the group stage, the Czechs got three offensive aces from the North American NHL – Martin Nečas, Pavel Zacha and especially David Pastrňák, the biggest current Czech star, who could be expected to start the show, just like in the past.
However, she is still nowhere to be found.
On average, Pastrňák spends more than 18 minutes on the ice, the most of the Czech forwards, and he shoots a lot, but after three games in Prague he has neither a goal nor an assist.
He did not assert himself even during the unprecedented semi-final cannonade 7:3 against Sweden.
“But I have to say that I don’t care at all. We didn’t need my goals at all and hopefully we won’t,” smiled the newly 28-year-old gunner after the promotion. “There’s no scoring, but it really doesn’t matter to me. I submitted to the system, I help as much as I can in every substitution. A goal would of course be nice, but it would only bother me when we lose.”
Pastrňák and Zacha, who has one goal to his credit so far, the deciding one in the quarter-final against the USA, first started alongside Roman Červenka, but in the playoffs they are joined by Ondřej Palát.
“The opponents put the best players against them,” pointed out coach Radim Rulík. “That freed up some space for other lines. Against Sweden, it was 100% confirmed.”
Defender Jan Rutta also noticed it.
Attacker Martin Nečas pointed out: “It’s not like we play on one line. We play on four, and that’s very difficult to defend.”
He achieved a fantastic record of 1+3 against the Swedes and has a total of six points after four races, thus shooting to the top of the team table ahead of Červenka in point average. In attack, he sat with defensive center David Kämpf and shooter Dominik Kubalík.
“As I said before, each match one line succeeds a little more, the other a little less. But it is not decisive at all who scores the goals. We are here as a team,” commented Rulík after progressing to the final.
Pastrňák did not contribute to it with goals, but by attracting the attention of opponents, and also psychologically.
“Maybe I was very relieved when he arrived,” admitted Lukáš Sedlák. “He’s going to put a lot of pressure on himself. I don’t envy him at all.”
“When guys like him arrive, everyone expects them to decide the matches and that it will basically be up to them. But the team is there to rally around them and perhaps help them at times. he didn’t rely and kept digging. In the end, anyone can decide the match,” added the center, who has already scored ten points (5+5), including four (2+2) after Pastrňák’s recent arrival.
2024-05-26 04:43:11
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