Pavel Zacha vocal on larger Bruins role amid playoff berth

Pavel Zacha came to the Bruins in the summer of 2022. Boston acquired the young forward from the Devils in exchange for veteran forward Erik Haula. The Czechia native spent his first season in Boston playing mostly on the wing. However, when the team needed him to step into the center role, he was more than ready.

“That was something I was looking forward to coming to Boston, knowing that in the future I’ll be able to get a chance to play center and getting the great opportunities that I’m getting to play,” Zacha said, via NHL.com. “So, I’m enjoying this year and think I just have to keep working hard and getting better in those situations.”

Zacha has often found himself anchoring the team’s top line. His ice time has seen a bump, as a result. The Bruins forward averaged around 16 minutes a game last season. And his career high in New Jersey was a little more than 17 minutes. This year, though, he has averaged a little more than 18 minutes per game.

Boston’s belief in the Czechian center has paid off. Zacha’s 51 points on the year rank fourth among Bruins skaters. Furthermore, he has just 16 penalty minutes all season, showing impressive discipline. He also leads the Bruins in faceoff win percentage with a 54.8% mark.

Playing with the best

Pavel Zacha’s role as the top-line center has seen him paired with the Bruins best players. Captain Brad Marchand and star winger David Pastrnak have formed part of Boston’s core for years. Now, they are taking the lead, and Zacha is grateful to play with two of the better players in the NHL.

“They put ‘Pasta’ and ‘Marchy’ with me in different games just to see how it goes,” Zacha said, via NHL.com. “They’ve played together for a very long time, so for me it’s exciting to play with two of the best wingers in the League.”

Marchand and Pastrnak have played extremely well with Zacha down the middle. Marchand has scored 27 goals and 63 points for the Bruins. Meanwhile, Pastrnak has followed up last season’s incredible performance with 45 goals and 102 points to this point in 2023-24.

Pavel Zacha has stepped up as the Bruins have needed him to. And it’s given Boston a chance to claim the Atlantic Division title this year. However, the goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Let’s see how Zacha and the Bruins get on in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.