Fresh Links: Hats Off

The Bruins plucked the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on the strength of David Pastrnak’s four-goal performance and with a little help from Jaroslav Halak.

• A dominant performance by David Pastrnak quietly leaves Bruce Cassidy to wonder where the rest of the team’s goals will come from. Patriot Ledger
• Speaking of dominant performances, Jaroslav Halak held the fort through another iffy second period- we can excuse his one notable bobble. Boston Herald
• And about that second period- so many of those have become, well, problematic. Boston Herald
• And how about that phantom tripping call? ooof! GFYCat
• A good call by Cassidy in choosing a faceoff side following sequential icings (that new NHL rule) helped Boston (as did Pasta’s salmon-hued suit, right?) HockeyBuzz
• What were the takeaways from the game? Bruins Daily
• Review the extended game highlights. (Video, 8:51) NHL
• In news of the walking wounded, Charlie McAvoy took a puck to the hand but returned to action. What’s the plan now that David Krejci was the victim of a Ryan Getzlaf cross-check, was subsequently elbowed by Josh Manson, and did not return? Prime Time Sports Talk
• Hizzoner the Mayor of Walpole, Chris Wagner, had his own interesting sequence with his former teammate Ryan Getzlaf. Only Wagner gets a laugh out of it. NESN
• Karson Kuhlman may not be on the scoresheet (thanks so very much, video review) but is fucused on contributing in other ways. Patriot Ledger
• Next up for this week? The Lightning on Thursday and the Maple Leafs on Saturday. NESN
• Chief Scoring Threat- David Pastrnak’s new job title? Boston Globe
• By the numbers, the Bergeron line has been VERY good for a long while now. NESN
• Boston has put last year’s Game #7 loss fully into the rear-view mirror. Boston Globe
• Wasn’t David Pastrnak impressive? Is it even fair to wonder what might have happened if he had been able to do that in Game #7 against St. Louis? WEEI
• Is there a spot for Anders Bjork? Causeway Crowd
• Review Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron putting on a Penalty Kill exhibition against the Devils in the second period of Saturday’s game. Streamable
• Lend your ears to the CLNS Media podcast, the guest is CBS Sports’ Pete Blackburn. Bonus- thoughtfully indexed timestamps of topics, including “Let’s get negative!” (Audio, 36:30) CLNS
• Meanwhile, in Providence, it was a mixed bag for the PBruins over the weekend. Rinkside Rhode Island

NHL Standings:

• The Bruins trail only the Sabres in the Atlantic Division NHL and in the Eastern Conference, NHL while in the league overall, Boston is only behind Buffalo and the Avalanche. (Links are NOT STATIC) NHL
• Note David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand climbing into the Offensive Leaders, and then marvel at both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak BOTH making appearances in the goaltending leaders categories. (Links are NOT STATIC) NHL

Elsewhere around the rink:

• In news of former Bruins: Ageless Brett Connolly scored twice after the Panthers fell behind the Devils 4-1 (!) whereupon Joel Quenneville’s Cats (including Frank Vatrano as well as Noel Acciari, on the redirect with the GWG here Streamable) rallied with FIVE unanswered goals to beat the Devils 6-4. Litterbox Cats
• Godspeed Ted Green, who was remembered with a rousing cheer before last afternoon’s game. Edmonton Journal
• Seriously? LA Kings fans blame Taylor Swift for their team’s shortcomings? PopCulture
• Dear Delaware North- maybe you could learn from how San Jose succeeded with enhanced fan experience engineering, and leveraging team employees as brand ambassadors. Listen to Jonathan Becher (not John Beecher) explain. (Audio, 20:52) Entrepreneur
• Speaking of giving thanks, note for what each NHL team should express gratitude. The Hockey News
• What is up with the Oilers? Somthing has sparked a long awaited turnaround in culture. NHL
• In super-slo-mo mode, relish some of the week’s best NHL action, including a Chris Wagner hit, a Jaroslav Halak toe save, and the wonder that is Patrice Bergeron. (Video, 4:48) NHL