David Pastrnak strikes again as Bruins come from behind on Winnipeg at Garden

“We rely on him for that shot,” coach Bruce Cassidy said, “and he came through for us . . . He’s forcing goalies to make saves more often. When you start scoring, goal-scorers start feeling it a little better. They’re a little cleaner. Their hands are lighter.”

A couple months ago, Pastrnak was misfiring even when the puck was in his wheelhouse. Now, goalies are sweating bullets whenever they see him. No NHL player has struck more often in 2022 than Pastrnak, who has scored 11 of his 19 goals since Jan. 1. That happens to be when Pastrnak downshifted from the top line to skate with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula.

Second on the leaguewide hot list with nine goals since Jan. 1 is Brad Marchand, who recorded an assist and two shots (eight attempts) in his return from an apparent shoulder injury. He skated 19 minutes, 35 seconds, most among Bruins forwards.

“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” said Marchand, who credited the Bruins’ training staff for “[throwing] everything at” his injury after Garnet Hathaway’s nasty hit on Thursday. He said he didn’t expect to play Saturday, but woke up feeling well enough to go. “It’s hard to sit out a game. It’s going to take a lot to sit out. That’s been the culture in this organization. If you feel you can play, you’ve got to battle through it.”

Further distancing itself from a dud of a Tuesday loss to Carolina, Boston (24-12-2) won its 10th game in 12 (10-2-0), and moved within one point of third place in the Atlantic Division. Toronto (24-10-3) played Saturday evening.

The B’s are making hay during this homestand (5-1-0), which finishes against Anaheim on Monday.

“You want teams to come in here and know how well we play,” said Charlie Coyle, who had a goal and an assist. “It’s nice to be at home in your own bed, doing your regular routine. It helps, but you’ve got to make sure you take advantage.”

Coyle did so against Winnipeg’s man-to-man defense, which couldn’t lock him down. The big (6-foot-3, 220) center drew a pair of stick infractions, including the tripping call on Adam Lowry that preceded Pastrnak’s winner. The heaviness in Coyle’s game was also evident when Pierre-Luc Dubois rode him into the glass, causing a stoppage to fix a displaced pane.

While the Garden bull gang made a speedy repair, NESN replayed Milan Lucic’s glass-shattering 2008 hit on Toronto’s Mike Van Ryn, which happened in the same corner of the rink.

“First thing I thought of,” said Coyle, who was a 16-year-old in Weymouth at the time.

Coyle’s wingers on the third line, Jake DeBrusk and Oskar Steen, were just as instrumental in Saturday’s win. DeBrusk continues to bring his ‘A’ game, wheeling all over the ice, forechecking, and even mixing it up a little physically. Steen, returning after a healthy scratch, scored a goal.

“They did their job,” Cassidy said, “and then some.”

Steen (2-4–6 in 13 games) pulled the Bruins even after Tuukka Rask allowed a shaky goal at 2:46 of the first. Off the rush, Winnipeg fourth-liner Jansen Harkins found room under the netminder’s glove. But Steen, after DeBrusk set up Coyle for a shot in front, cashed the rebound at 11:37.

The Bruins trailed, 2-1, after Andrew Copp’s backbreaker at the end of the opening period. Marchand turned it over on the rush, and Blake Wheeler’s throw-it-on-net bid clanked off Copp and Urho Vaakanainen with 26 seconds left.

The third line delivered the tying goal at 2:31 of the second. DeBrusk forced a turnover, and Steen smartly left the puck alone to avoid going offside. Derek Forbort stepped up and fed Coyle for a tip-in.

“I liked all three [forwards],” Cassidy said. “Big part of our win. That’s always good for team-building and for success when different lines contribute. They were certainly our best tonight.”

Outshot, 11-4, in the first period, the Bruins allowed 13 shots the rest of the way. They finished up, 32-24, in shots on goal.

Pastrnak’s goal made the Bruins 1 for 2 on the power play. He had it on a tee from Matt Grzelcyk, and blasted it far side, under Connor Hellebuyck’s glove.

Boston also finished 4 for 4 on the penalty kill, including 1:27 of 4-on-6 to finish the game. Rask (22 saves on 24 shots) put them in that spot by whipping the puck over the glass on a clearing attempt for a delay of game. The netminder, who grew more comfortable after the first period, shut down Kyle Connor with his blocker in the final seconds.

Rask’s save percentage in three starts rose to .874. Cassidy called his outing a “step in the right direction,” putting a positive spin on the netminder’s late misfire; he was happy to see him get out there to play the puck.

“Second and third period, I don’t know we hardly gave up a chance, other than some stuff from the outside,” Cassidy said. “The first [goal] got through him. I think this is some of the residual effect of missing time, squeezing pucks like that. The second was an unlucky bounce … After that, he was fine.”