NHL Notebook: Ranking top players, goals from past decade of Bruins hockey

As we get ready to put the 2010s in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look back at the last decade of Bruins hockey with some rankings of the top players and goals from 2010-19:

TOP 10 BRUINS

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Nathan Horton: He only played three seasons and 169 total games during his tenure with Boston, but Horton’s fingerprints were all over the Bruins’ Cup run in 2011 — headlined by series-clinching goals against the Canadiens and Lightning. The winger certainly had a flair for the dramatics, while his injury in Game 3 of the 2011 Cup Final sparked a response from his teammates that carried the B's to a title. 

Shawn Thornton: A physical force on Boston’s fourth line for seven seasons, Thornton often helped tilt the ice in the Bruins’ favor thanks to some bone-crushing hits and spirited bouts. His insertion into the lineup during the 2011 Cup Final played a role in Boston flipping the script against Vancouver. Long live the "Merlot Line" of Thornton, Daniel Paille, and Gregory Campbell. 

10. Dennis Seidenberg: Seidenberg very well could have been a bonafide Conn Smythe contender in 2011 had it not been for Tim Thomas’ heroics. Along with the heavy minutes he logged during that playoff run, Seidenberg averaged 22:35 of ice time per game over seven regular-season campaigns in Boston. Opposing top-six units were in for a rough night whenever Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara patrolled the blue line together.

9. Milan Lucic: A remnant of a now-forgotten era, prime Lucic will be the closest that many of us will get to the “Big Bad Bruins” of yesteryear — as there were few power forwards as feared as Lucic in the early 2010s. A regular on a heavy top line next to David Krejci and Horton, Lucic racked up 253 points and 503 penalty minutes during the decade with Boston.

8. Torey Krug: It’s a bit of a testament to the rest of the talent on this list that the Bruins’ all-time leading scorer for an American-born skater is only eighth on this list. Since exploding onto the scene with a four-goal series against the Rangers in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Krug has helmed Boston’s power play from the blue line and served as an offensive catalyst within the B's D corps. If Krug re-ups on a contract extension in 2020, you could see him making a major jump on this list come 2029. 

7. David Pastrnak: Speaking of players that could make a major jump up on this list in the 2020s, Pastrnak is poised to put himself in with some esteemed company as soon as this year — with the dynamic winger still on pace to become the first Bruin to reach 50 goals in a single season since Cam Neely reached the mark during the 1993-94 campaign. Oh, and he’s still just 23 years old.

6. Tim Thomas: Yes, Thomas' tenure in Boston came to an end way back in 2012. But man, what a run it was for the B’s netminder during that short span. Thomas earns a spot on this list for his efforts in the 2010-11 season alone — in which he won his second Vezina Trophy with an absurd .938 save percentage. But the veteran goalie was far from finished, paving the way for Boston’s first Cup in 39 years by posting a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage over 25 games in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. What the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy winner lacked in total games played in the 2010s, he certainly made up for in results. 

5. David Krejci: One of the most underrated forwards in the NHL for … well, a decade now, Krejci has evolved his game of the years.  Once the club’s top-line pivot, Krejci has still been very effective as a second-line center despite not having much in terms of a consistent right winger over the past couple of seasons. Krejci, who has tallied 518 points over 660 games this decade, has also shined on hockey’s top stage, leading all players in scoring during both the 2011 and 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs — both of which featured Boston advancing all the way to the Cup Final.

4. Tuukka Rask: One of the most polarizing Bruins in franchise history, Rask still manages to catch plenty of grief despite his strong play in net for a decade now. Rask, who captured a Vezina Trophy in 2014 and is the team’s all-time leader in wins (279), is still often maligned for not winning “the big one” when it comes to his 0-2 record as a starter in the Stanley Cup Final. But before that Game 7 no-show from the entire roster last June, Rask was the odds-on favorite for the Conn Smythe (15 wins, .934 save percentage, two shutouts). 

3. Brad Marchand: A fan favorite in Boston — and despised by just about every other fanbase in the NHL — Marchand has elevated his game from a regular fourth liner // to a middle-six pest // to now, one of the top forwards in the entire league. An offensive dynamo that uses his strength, shiftiness, and skill to both torment opposing defenses and frustrate skaters as a penalty killer, Marchand has tallied 615 points over 700 games so far this decade, and is the first Bruin to reach the 100-point threshold in a single season since Joe Thornton in 2002-03. Methinks he posts another couple of triple-digit campaigns before he hangs up the skates. 

2. Zdeno Chara: One of the greatest free-agent signings in NHL history, Chara transformed the franchise upon signing with Boston back in 2006. While he’s slowed down some over the last couple of years, make no mistake, the 42-year-old defenseman is still an intimidating, shutdown presence on the blue line. Captaining the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title and two other Cup Final appearances this decade, it remains to be seen just how much longer Chara wants to keep playing. But when he finally does decide to hang up the skates, a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame awaits. 

1. Patrice Bergeron: Who else? Beyond the impressive scoring totals (567 points in 682 games this decade), four Selke Trophies (no player has captured five), and 58.6 faceoff percentage — Bergeron has had a knack for delivering in crunch time. Whether it be his two-goal performance in Game 7 against Vancouver, his heroics in 2013 against Toronto or gutting through the final games of the 2013 Cup Final with a punctured lung, separated shoulder, broken ribs and torn cartilage — Bergeron has established himself as one of the greatest to ever don the black & gold sweater. 

TOP 5 BRUINS GOALS OF THE DECADE

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Seth Griffith vs. New Jersey — Nov. 10, 2014: 

He only scored six goals over 34 games with the Bruins, but man, did Griffith make his tallies count — headlined by this between-the-legs, no-look goal. 



Zdeno Chara vs. Florida —Feb. 24, 2013

Chara may not be known for his offensive prowess beyond his cannon of a slap shot, but the B’s captain put the Panthers on notice with this impressive spin-o-rama tally back in 2013. 



Benoit Pouliot vs. Florida — Dec. 23, 2011

Despite averaging a little over 12 minutes of ice time per game in his lone season with Boston, Pouliot still managed to tally 16 goals and 32 points — including this absurd strike against the Panthers. 



Marco Sturm vs. Philadelphia — Jan. 1, 2010

The Bruins welcomed in the 2010s with a bang with this OT win at the 2010 Winter Classic — as Sturm tipped a Bergeron pass past Michael Leighton to close out a 2-1 victory at Fenway Park. 



Adam McQuaid vs. Pittsburgh — June 5, 2013

The top-seeded Penguins might have been swept in this Conference Final, but the final two games at TD Garden were both nail-biters, with Boston only holding a combined 3-1 scoring edge in those matchups. But in a deciding Game 4, McQuaid’s blast at 5:01 in the third was all that Boston needed to best the Pens and advance to the Stanley Cup Final once again. 



Marc Savard vs. Philadelphia — May 1, 2010

Yes, this series might have ended in shocking fashion for the Bruins, but Savard deserves a stick tap for this OT winner in Game 1 — in what stood as his first game in close to two months after getting concussed by Matt Cooke back on March 7. Savard would only play 31 more games with the Bruins before his playing career was ultimately cut short due to concussion issues. 



David Pastrnak vs. Columbus — May 3, 2019

Pastrnak’s second goal of the night — tallied with 1:28 remaining in the third — handed the Bruins a dramatic Game 5 win and a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Columbus. It also bailed Boston out of a potentially disastrous result. With the series tied, 2-2, the Bruins let a 3-1 lead evaporate with 8:44 to go in the game, only for Pastrnak to send the Garden crowd home happy with his tally in the 58th minute of regulation. 



Jake DeBrusk vs. Toronto — April 25, 2018

The Maple Leafs’ decade has largely been dominated by rebuilding campaigns and crushing playoff exits against the Bruins, with the 2018 showdown between the Original Six rivals standing as another tough pill for Toronto to swallow. Toronto might have entered the third period of a decisive Game 7 with a one-goal lead, but Boston countered with a four-goal salvo over the final 20 minutes of play to close out the hard-fought series. DeBrusk gave Boston the lead for good, rushing past Jake Gardiner and beating Frederik Andersen short side with a quick shot at 5:25 in the third. 



5. Brad Marchand vs. Vancouver — June 6, 2011

After dropping the first two games of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins returned to TD Garden on the ropes. To make matters worse, playoff hero Nathan Horton was knocked out of Game 3 — and the rest of the series — off of a late hit from Aaron Rome at 5:07 in the first period. But rather than fold, Boston responded with a four-goal outburst in the second frame, with Marchand’s shorthanded tally standing as the knockout punch. Boston went on to win Game 3, 8-1, while the 2011 playoffs gave Bruins fans a preview of the force that Marchand would become in the coming years.



4. Nathan Horton vs. Montreal — April 27, 2011

In another classic B’s/Habs seven-game series that needed overtime to decide, it was Horton’s slapper — his second OT winner of the series — that put a dramatic end to another chapter in this Original Six rivalry, and jumpstarted a run that ended with a Stanley Cup title.



3. Nathan Horton vs. Tampa Bay — May 27, 2011

It’s only fitting that one of the greatest hockey games of the decade had a nail-biting finish, with Horton providing the heroics once again. In a game in which zero penalties were called, both the Bruins and Lightning traded punches throughout the first 53 minutes of regulation — but neither team was able to tally that elusive opening goal with both Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson standing tall in net. Horton’s game-winner finally broke the deadlock and punched Boston’s ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. 



2. Patrice Bergeron vs. Toronto — May 13, 2013

“BERGERON! BERGERON! BERGERON!”

You could put pretty much any goal from that improbable comeback against Toronto on this list, especially Bergeron’s first tally of the night — a wrister from the high slot that slipped past a screened James Reimer. But we’ll go with the OT goal that sealed a dramatic win for Boston and handed the Maple Leafs one of their most crushing losses in a long list of such defeats.



1. Patrice Bergeron vs. Vancouver — June 15, 2011

It might not have been the flashiest goal on this list. In fact, it took a couple of seconds for many to even realize that Bergeron snapped the puck past Roberto Luongo. But with Boston on the cusp of its first Stanley Cup title in 39 years, Bergeron’s tally at 14:37 in the first period stunned the Canucks crowd and gave Boston a lead it would not relinquish in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. While both the Bruins and Canucks were undefeated on home ice through the first six games of the Stanley Cup Final, Bergeron made sure that the script was going to be flipped this time around at Rogers Arena. Less than two hours after Bergeron lit the lamp, the Bruins hoisted the greatest trophy in sports. 



Be sure to follow along later this week, as we'll unveil our top moments of the decade just ahead of the new year.