David Pastrnak sees some similarities between himself and Matt Poitras.
No, the Bruins’ 20-year-old center may not wield the same blistering one-timer that has allowed Pastrnak to pile up 18 hat tricks in his career.
But Boston’s top forward can draw plenty of parallels between his early days navigating the snarl of the NHL and the current growing pains that Poitras is dealing with.
Pastrnak is not the most imposing figure on the ice at 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds. Still, the 28-year-old winger has made significant strides from his early days when it comes to battling through contact and not letting a few bone-crunching checks throw him off his game.