TOTW Pastrnak and TOTW Gaborik Reviews

Hey everyone, I'll be doing some reviews for the next little while on some players on my team. Today we have TOTW Pastrnak and TOTW Gaborik. I'll be ranking them based on the five stats on the card and I'll be sharing their stats through 47 games on my team. Keep in mind that I have the following synergies active on my team: WW, OJ, NP, RF, DR, HH, IS, 1T, CG, TT, SB, T. Keep in mind that these two are on my 4th and 3rd lines(in Div 1) so their numbers are not entirely reflective of their abilities.

TOTW Pastrnak Skating: 9/10: Pastrnak can really fly on the ice. I'd liken his speed to that of Nyquist. I've had a few times where he's managed to get a breakaway by racing up the wing and cutting in. He won't blow you away like TOTW Gaborik but he can get up to speed quick and will stay there due to his 92 Endurance with my team.

Shooting: 7/10: He didn't impress me much with his shot. There was never a time where I was like "Wow, I was not expecting that to go in." He'll bury it if it is open though.

Hands: 9/10: His passing and deking felt very clean to me. I'm not much of a deker but he was able to pull off anything that I tried with no issues. His passing is probably a bit skewed because of his 96 passing with all the team synergies but he was making awesome passes.

Checking: 5/10: Don't be trying to hit anyone bigger than Pastrnak or while stationary. It won't end well. He was a bit stronger on the puck than his base card, so that was a nice improvement.

Defense: 7.5/10: His defense was just solid. Good enough for the 4th line, but nothing too special. He was in the right place at the right time and was able to pick off some passes. However, his one strength was his pokecheck. This is part of RF but hi pokecheck is deadly on the forecheck and has created a few goals for me.

Overall he's a fun card to use and fits my 4th line role. He's got good synergies and at a price of 15-25k, should be a solid 2nd-3rd line winger on most teams.

Stats through 47 games: 4 goals, 3 assists, +2, 4 PIM

TOTW Gaborik Skating: 9.5/10: Gaborik has been one of the fastest players on my team. His speed has created a ton of chances for him and his linemates. Compared to his base I'd say he is about the same(with the base having S active). His endurance is quite a bit better than his base and that has to do with having RF.

Shooting: 8.5/10: Gaborik can snipe, especially when given an open look. With his 90 wrist shot accuracy and 91 power, it'll be going in anytime he's not tired. Slapshots, I don't think I took any with him but I'd assume they are very good as well.

Hands: 9/10: His hands were very good, pulling off almost all dekes without an issue. His passing was phenomenal and is very underrated. The combo of his passing as well as his speed created some very good chances for his line.

Checking: 7.5/10: Gaborik won’t get knocked off the puck as easily as his base card but can still get bumped by bigger guys. He can lay out hits well enough that their effective but don’t expect him to hit anyone big.

Defense: 7.5/10: Very similar to Pastrnak, as he is solid enough. Good positioning and pokecheck. However if you are getting him for his defense, you are doing it wrong.

Overall Gaborik is a great addition to almost any team and has the same synergies as Pastrnak. He is a great 2nd liner and even a fringe first liner on some teams. For around 30k, I’d say he’s one of the best cards in his price range.

Stats through 47 games: 5 goals, 6 assists, +5, 0 PIM

Let me know what cards you guys would like to see done next and I’ll see if I can get to them.