Pastrnak's cold streak doing faltering Bruins no favors

For a while there, it seemed the 2016-17 season was going to be the David Pastrnak show. But the young Boston Bruins winger's cold streak has turned into a genuine step back, returning him to the middle of the pack.

The 20-year-old Czech started the new season as hot as one can be, tearing through the league at a blistering pace. By early December, Pastrnak was up to 18 goals in just 23 games - tied with Sidney Crosby for the league's scoring lead.

Pastrnak posted 15 goals in 2015-16, and it took him 51 games to reach that sum. Suffice to say, his strong start was a crucial step forward, establishing himself as one of the game's new goal-scoring kings.

And then it all came tumbling down.

Injuries threw his sterling 2016-17 effort into disarray, as the young winger was forced out of the lineup for a pair of games in mid-December to get treatment on his elbow.

Since returning to the Bruins' lineup, Pastrnak's previously indomitable scoring touch has all but dried up. Following his 18-goal romp through the first 23 games of the year, he's registered just one tally in the past 20 contests, and none in his past 17.

The young Bruin has actually been shooting slightly more often during his cold streak than he was when he was terrorizing goaltenders on a nightly basis. He's averaged 3.5 shots per game over the past 20 contests, up from 3.4 during the earlier 23-game span.

Unfortunately, Pastrnak's luck seems to have deserted him, as all but one of his past 70 shots have failed to find the back of the net. A regrettable reality for the Bruins, who are desperate for success after sliding down the standings and temporarily out of a playoff spot.

Head coach Claude Julien is certainly giving his young star all the opportunity needed to get back on track, as Pastrnak is seeing more ice now than he did early in the year. Through December and January, he's averaged nearly a full minute more per game than he did through October and November.

And yet, the floodgates remain firmly closed. As it currently stands, Pastrnak still ranks 15th in the league's goal-scoring race thanks to his scorching start. But unless he can start adding to that total again some time soon, it won't mean much for the quickly falling Bruins.