BOSTON (AP) David Pastrnak got to the 100-goal mark and moved right past it.
Pastrnak scored three times Saturday, giving him 101 goals for his career, and the Boston Bruins kept Detroit winless with an 8-2 victory over the Red Wings.
”It’s been quick and I’m glad that I get to be part of this,” Pastrnak said. ”I’m just having fun. I love the game. I’m not focusing on if I’m going to score a goal or three.”
It was the second career hat trick for Pastrnak, Boston’s star 22-year-old Czech who has seven goals in five games already this season.
”He’s growing up. He’s trying to get everyone involved and that’s part of being a good teammate,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Patrice Bergeron had three assists and Jake DeBrusk scored twice for the Bruins, who also got goals from Charlie McAvoy, Anders Bjork and Sean Kuraly.
David Krejci and Brad Marchand had a pair of assists each and Tuukka Rask had 32 saves to help Boston win its fourth straight.
Filip Hronek and Dylan Larkin scored for the Red Wings, who fell to 0-5 for the first time since 1980.
The Red Wings lost defenseman Danny DeKeyser to an undisclosed injury early in the first period, leaving the defense short-handed in front of goalie Jonathan Bernier, who finished with 31 saves.
”We regressed tonight for sure. I don’t think there’s any doubt,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. ”It was a bad effort. I don’t even know if effort is even the right word. Bad effort, bad execution, unacceptable.”
Hronek’s power-play goal 21 seconds into the third was the first of his career, briefly cutting Boston’s lead to 4-1.
The start time was moved up to 3 p.m. from 7 p.m. because of the opener of the American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday night. Boston fans were looking ahead with the Bruins up big in the third period, chanting ”Let’s Go Red Sox!”
Pastrnak started the rout with 51 seconds left in the first period, taking the puck from deep in his own zone and going untouched before beating Bernier with a wrist shot for his 99th career goal.
”Nobody really came at me. I just kept going forward and the D gave me some space,” Pastrnak said.
Pastrnak got his 100th early in the second on a power-play, on one-timing a pass from Bergeron to put Boston up 4-0, and completed the hat trick at 2:05 into the period on one-timer off a pass from Brad Marchand on a 2-on-1. The game was stopped for a few minutes to clean up the dozens of hats that came showering down from the seats.
Bergeron got his third assist on the play. He set up Pastrnak’s first goal and had another assist off a faceoff win and drop pass to McAvoy for a one-timer 4:44 into the second to put the Bruins up 2-0.
The Bruins have outscored their opponents 20-6 since getting shut out by Washington 7-0 in the season opener.
The Red Wings have been outscored 23-11 through five games.
”They didn’t really have to work for the scoring chances they got,” Detroit forward Frans Nielsen said. ”We’ve got to do a way better job of managing the puck and being a little harder to play against.”
NOTES: Detroit has lost 10 straight against Boston. .. Pastrnak reached 100 goals in 259 career games, the third-fastest in franchise history, trailing only Barry Pederson (187) and Dit Clapper (247). … The loudest cheer of the day came during a stopage in the second period when the big screen monitor showed the Red Sox celebrating to the tune of ”New York, New York” after advancing to the ALCS with a win over the Yankees. .
UP NEXT
Red Wings: At Montreal on Monday night.
Bruins: At Calgary on Wednesday night.
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