Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron Leading the Way
After their come-from-behind victories on both Wednesday and Friday night over the Philadelphia Flyers, it's safe to say the Boston Bruins have become accustomed to raising fans’ blood pressure this season. Aside from their 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Jan. 18, Boston has managed to record at least one point in 10 games this season. Of those 10, six required overtime and two were pushed to a shootout - both resulting in wins for the black and gold.
A source of their recent success can be found in their reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner David Pastrnak who has returned to the lineup after offseason hip and labral surgery. Pastrnak tallied 95 points in 70 games last season and chipped in 10 more during the playoffs. Since returning to the lineup on Jan. 30, Pastrnak has picked up right where he left off. In just four games he has scored five goals to go along with three assists. He also notched the ninth hat trick of his career Wednesday against the Flyers in the waning seconds of regulation to force overtime.
“I told him in my experience that sometimes what happens when guys miss that much time […] your hands and your timing are a little bit out of sync,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “Ha! He showed me!”
Cassidy would go on to say that Pastrnak is “on a mission” and it's hard to argue otherwise. In his last 82 games, Pastrnak has recorded 60 goals. Not to dwell on the past but you have to wonder where he would have ended up had COVID-19 not put a premature end to the 2019-20 regular season. Regardless, his performance up to this point is incredible, especially when you consider the fact that he did not participate in training camp and spent the bulk of his offseason in recovery. At just 24-years-old, the most unimaginable aspect of his game is what we are yet to witness.
Pastrnak has been a shot of adrenaline for his teammates and has rightfully garnered a lot of the media’s attention. But the play of the far less charismatic Patrice Bergeron picked up the slack in Pastrnak’s absence. Before the start of the season, Bergeron was named the 20th captain in Bruins franchise history and has proven at 35 years of age he's still a lethal option offensively.
Bergeron’s overtime goal on Wednesday night puts him tied for fifth in league scoring with 15 points. He’s averaging 1.36 points per game.
With forwards such as Jake DeBrusk and Ondrej Kase out with injuries, a fair amount of pressure falls on the top tier players to produce. The best players in the world tend to always come through. Boston is setting itself up nicely to once again be the cream of the crop.