David Pastrnak Sparks Czechia’s Comeback Win Over France in Must-Win Olympic Clash
After a humbling 5-0 loss to Canada in their Olympic opener, Czechia’s margin for error was razor-thin. With just two games left in group play and a looming matchup against a strong Swiss squad, Friday’s game against France wasn’t just important-it was essential. And when things started to unravel midway through, it was David Pastrnak who stepped up and reminded everyone why he’s one of the most dangerous players in the world.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a cakewalk. France came to play and didn’t back down.
After Czechia opened the scoring with a power-play goal from Martin Nečas-set up by a slick feed from Pastrnak-France answered with three of the next four goals. Suddenly, Czechia found itself trailing 3-2 in the second period.
Not exactly the script anyone expected.
And that’s when Pastrnak took over.
Despite looking visibly gassed at the end of Thursday’s game against Canada, Pastrnak found another gear just when his team needed it most. At 13:23 of the second period, the Bruins winger buried the game-tying goal, swinging momentum back in Czechia’s favor. From there, it was all Czechia, as they rattled off four unanswered goals to close out a 6-3 win and keep their Olympic hopes very much alive.
It was a gutsy performance from a team missing a key piece in Pavel Zacha, who was ruled out earlier in the week. Zacha’s absence not only left a hole in the lineup but raised some concern about his status for the Bruins post-Olympics. But on this night, Czechia found a way to respond, leaning on their stars and showing the kind of resilience that can define a tournament run.
Former Bruins netminder Dan Vladar, now with the Flyers, got the start in net and stopped nine of 12 shots. It wasn’t a perfect outing, but it didn’t need to be. The offense picked up the slack, and Vladar held the line when it mattered most.
Now, all eyes turn to Sunday morning’s showdown with Switzerland. Puck drops at 6 a.m. EST, and with everything on the line, expect Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukáš Dostál to get the call in net after handling duties against Canada.
For Czechia, the path to the knockout round is still alive-but there’s no room for missteps. If Pastrnak has anything left in the tank, and Friday’s performance suggests he does, Sunday’s game could be another showcase for one of the game’s elite.