(Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

By: Jason Cooke | Follow me on Twitter / X @cookejournalism

Ahead of Thursday night’s wild 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Boston Bruins announced that forward David Pastrnak was selected to the 2024 National Hockey League All-Star Game in Toronto, Canada. This marks Pastrnak’s fourth selection to the annual event amid his recent evolvement to stardom for the Black and Gold. If there were doubts about the NHL’s selection, Pastrnak proved he belonged with the league’s best, posting three points against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins just hours after the announcement.

Pastrnak notched a goal and two assists in the roller coaster of a loss, marking eight points in his last four games. Pastrnak’s line of 23-30-53 this season leads the Bruins in every category, and he is projected to surpass the 100-point plateau for the second consecutive season. He ranks fifth in the NHL for points behind stars such as Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, solidifying his position as one of the league’s premier players. On Thursday night, those numbers spoke for themselves.

Pastrnak tied the game at two in an offensive flurry at the beginning of the first period, collecting a pass from Hampus Lindholm before executing a signature deke move to the backhand for the easy score. He also assisted on the game’s first goal, firing a puck on net that Brad Marchand whacked home to put the Bruins on the board just 41 seconds into the matchup. Pastrnak capped off his star-studded performance with a helper on Morgan Geekie’s tally in the second period to put the Bruins back within two.

The Bruins have relied on Pastrnak’s offensive contributions all season, and he’s certainly delivered. In his last ten games, he’s gone pointless only three times while skating to five multi-point performances. It’s nothing new for the 26-year-old 2014 first-round pick, who’s seemed to have improved his offensive game every season throughout his career. Bruins fans can expect the same treatment for the foreseeable future, as Pastrnak signed an eight-year contract last March, promising many one-timers and clutch goals in a Bruins uniform for years to come.