McDonald: Patrice Bergeron (2nd hat trick) explains the sweet science of his shot selection, line chemistry

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

That’s such brilliant hockey advice from a man who scored 894 career goals on 5,089 shots during his Hall of Fame career. Bruins veteran forward Patrice Bergeron lives by those words from the Great One, but what makes Bergeron a different player is his ability to use his defensive positioning to create an abundance of offense (more on that below).

From a shooting standpoint, Bergeron recorded at least one shot in a span of 114 games, dating back to Oct. 22, 2016. That streak ended during Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden.

Well, he didn’t waste a single shot during Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders at Barclays Center. Bergeron registered four shots and scored three times — including on his first missile of the game — as he scored goals Nos. 17, 18 and 19 to notch his second hat trick of the season.

Against the Canadiens, “it was one of those nights, I was just trying to find my wingers,” admitted Bergeron. “You obviously want to get some shots on net because that’s the only way you’re going to score goals. Tonight was one of those games when I was getting the looks again and I was trying to take them.”

With Bergeron, you know exactly what you're going to get every night.

“He’s so consistent,” said Bruce Cassidy. “He was very good (Wednesday) and I didn’t realize he didn’t register a shot. He made a tremendous play on (David Pastrnak’s) goal and can’t say enough about his ability to contribute every night. You talk about when some guys don’t have it offensively, they need to bring something else. Well, he brings it every night no matter what and it’s good to see him get rewarded. He’s shooting the puck.”

Without knowing the stat, Bergeron was asked if he’s made it a point to shoot more this season instead of passing.

“I don’t know — the last few years what’s my average compared to this year? — but I feel like I’m shooting just as much and maybe I’m getting some better looks and Brad (Marchand) is finding me a little more in the slot,” Bergeron said. “Pucks are going in sometimes and sometimes they don't; right now, they are, so I’m going to try to keep shooting and keep trying to find the back of the net.”

During this span of 114 games, he has produced 441 shots on net and scored 40 times. When asked to guess how many shots he registered, he said with a laugh: “I have no idea. Probably . . . 300. That would be my guess.”

Good guess, Bergy, but you’re wrong.

So, we asked Marchand, his longtime linemate, the same question.

“Pfft. On net? Ah, around 500? Maybe not 500; I’ll say 400.”

Let’s asked a defenseman. Hey, Torey Krug, what’s your guess?

“I know he shoots a lot and he leads our team a lot, so probably 340,” Krug said. “Yup, 340.”

It’s not always about shots for Bergeron. There’s a reason he’s won the Selke Award four times. The stealthy centerman actually has a science behind his ability to focus on defense first and offense second.

“If you’re in position defensively, then good things happen on offense,” Bergeron said. “I know it’s a cliché, but it’s usually how it is.”

Oh, please explain more, Patrice.

“On that first goal is a good example,” explained Bergeron. “Pasta’s battling and I’m staying on the defensive side. I’m in position where if the puck gets back, and he gets beat, I’m still going to be ahead of my guy defensively. I’m still trying to be aware of what can happen if we do get the break and on that one, Brad had the presence of mind to go help and get the puck for the 2-on-1. I’m trying to read what’s going to unfold out of every battle and every play. I try to read the play as much as possible I guess.”

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When Marchand gained control of the puck, he intentionally took it wide to allow Bergeron to get into position in the high slot and receive a clean pass before his first goal. The chemistry between these two is so strong that Marchand knows exactly where to feed the pass.

“He’s always in position to get off a shot like that,” Marchand said. “He plays the game and reads the play and puts himself in a spot where he’s coming into areas with speed, or he’s coming in late to an area and I know that now and it’s the first place I look. The other thing he’s really good at is talking. He talks all the time on the ice. Before I even picked up that puck he was letting me know he was with me, so I knew we had a 2-on-1 from the second I got it. You give him the puck in a scoring area like that 9 out of 10 times he’s going to score. It’s just fun to watch him play.”

Any special call signal from Bergeron when he’s in position?

“I know that voice,” Marchand said. “It’s ingrained in my head.”

It’s an extremely difficult task for the opposition to try and shut down Boston’s top line. It’s impossible to focus on one of the three because the other two will devastate a team. That trio is a pure three-man attack.

“They’re just a really good line,” said Islanders’ Josh Bailey. “They always seem to be in good position. Their team plays a pretty structured game in general; they really clog up the middle of the ice and it’s tough to penetrate at times.”

Bergeron is not an All-Star this season and that has many fans upset about that, but it’s actually a good sign for the Bruins. Does he deserve it? Of course, he does. But he’s played so much hockey over the last few seasons between the regular season, playoffs, Olympics and World Cup, that any chance for rest, especially at this point of the season is critical for Bergeron and the Bruins.

“He deserves to be there – no question,” said Marchand, who is the lone representative for the Bruins this season. “He’s easily one of the best players in the league. He’s very consistent every night, every year, so he definitely deserves to be there but anytime you get a little break it’s good to get a breather and some time with the family; it’s enjoyable and then he’ll get back to work later.”

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In December, Bergeron passed Bobby Orr for eighth place on the Bruins’ all-time scoring list with 266 goals. With his three on Thursday, Bergeron passed Wayne Cashman for seventh place with 278.

“It’s not something I stop and think about, to be honest with you,” Bergeron said. “I had a chance to learn from Cash my first few years and he was great person and I’ve only heard good things about him as a player and the way he played the game. It’s always great to hear and a great honor, but at the same time I’m only worried about what I can control, which is helping my team get some more wins.”

Just keep shooting.