MCDONALD: Even Cam Neely was in awe of David Pastrnak's 3 goals, 6 points in Game 2 blowout

Cam Neely was walking off the elevator at TD Garden and heading to the Bruins locker room when he began to think out loud.

“How about those three goals?” he said.

He was referring to David Pastrnak’s six-point game that included a hat-trick. Neely then began to describe each one, almost as if he was pretending he was on the ice and the puck was on his stick.

“Those hands,” said Neely, who scored 57 goals in 93 career playoff games.

It was an incredible display by Pastrnak, who now has six goals in eight career playoff games. Each goal was dynamic. Each time he had the puck on his stick something good happened. Get used to it because he has the ability to perform in big moments and this is only the beginning of what he can accomplish in his career.

“Breakthrough night? That’s a good term," said Bruce Cassidy. "You could look back and say it is. I mean, six points in a Stanley Cup playoff game with a hat trick – that’s special.”

Last season was his first experience with Stanley Cup playoff hockey and the Bruins lost in the first round to the Ottawa Senators. No. 88 produced only two goals and two assists for four points, but he learned what it takes to perform at this point of the season. He’s matured on and off the ice. He’s stronger physically.

“What I like about it, so far, it’s still early, but he got a taste of what the playoffs were last year and knew what to expect this year and he’s mentally prepared,” Neely told BostonSportsJournal.com. “You don’t really know until you get there and he found out last year. It was a great learning experience for him.”

When the Bruins signed the 21-year-old forward to a six-year contract worth $40 million at the start of training camp, everyone knew it was a deal that worked for both sides. The organization lined his pockets and now it was time for his to load up the score sheet.

Producing 80 points in 82 games was a start. And to follow with the type of performances in the first two games of this series is a true indication he’s not about to sit back. The contract only motivated him and he’s proving that.

“He showed enough in the first couple of years what he can do for us, and what he projects to do for us,” said Neely of the team’s decision to give him that contract. “It was really an easy decision for us to do that. We know his character. We know his work ethic. We know the linemates (Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand) he’s playing with, so they’re not going to let him slide either. These guys are competitors and they want to win and they compete. They’re teaching him the same thing.”

Speaking of his linemates, at the start of the season Cassidy thought Pastrnak would play with David Krejci on the second line. The coach is all about chemistry with forward pairs and not necessarily a three-man unit. The idea is to complement that pair with a third player in hopes it works. Once Pastrnak was reunited with Bergeron and Marchand early in the season, everything fell into place.

“All three of those guys are world-class players,” said newcomer Rick Nash. “It was fun to have a front-row seat tonight. . . (first line combined for 20 points in first two games) has it been done before? I’ve never seen it in my career. It’s unbelievable.”

Bruins fans have come to expect big-game performances from Bergeron and Marchand. Witnessing the postseason birth Pastrnak is certainly a bonus. His six-point game was the first in the postseason by a Bruin since Rick "Nifty" Middleton accomplished the feat on April 18, 1983, with two goals and four assists against the Buffalo Sabres.

Middleton was 29-years-old. Pastrnak is only 21.

“Exactly,” Neely said.