Nylander better in Pastrnak's presence, suggests Babcock

As preposterous as it may sound, Boston Bruins dynamo David Pastrnak may be supplying the Toronto Maple Leafs a competitive advantage.

After William Nylander recorded his first career hat trick in Saturday's 6-5 win in Boston, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock suggested his offensive wiz is a better player when in the presence of his childhood friend.

"We got to bring Pastrnak on the road with us all the time, take him to every rink," Babcock said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "(Nylander) always wants to be better than (Pastrnak)."

For his part, Pastrnak was a force himself. He scored twice, and matched Nylander's three points with a primary assist on a power-play goal scored by Torey Krug.

Nylander commented on how special it is to dual with his close friend on such a massive stage, via Masters:

"It's something you never thought would happen when you're playing as little kids back home. Pretty cool."

Let's face it, if this "rivalry" continues to yield 6-5 shootouts, we're all benefiting.