Another scoring milestone wasn't the only reason Wednesday was a banner night for David Pastrnak

When was the last time you saw a goal-scoring talent like David Pastrnak don a black-and-gold sweater?

Sure, there have been higher point producers over the years. Adam Oates racked up 142 points during the 1992-93 campaign, and that blueliner with No. 4 stamped across the back was pretty good when he had the puck on his stick. 

But whether it be the eye test or the numbers etched on the box score, you could make the case that the 23-year-old winger is the most talented sniper to enter the Bruins’ ranks since Phil Esposito served as the bane of many netminders’ livelihoods during the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The stats certainly speak for themselves.

With his hat trick on Wednesday night against the Canadiens, Pastrnak surpassed the 40-goal threshold for the first time in his young career, reaching 41 through just 59 games during the 2019-20 campaign.

It marked the fourth hat trick this season for Pastrnak, becoming just the second Bruin in history to secure at least four over the course of one year. (Esposito had seven hatties during the 1970-71 season).

https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1227804248752168960

"It's news to me,” Pastrnak said postgame following Boston’s 4-1 win over the Habs.  “Obviously, a huge honor, especially in an organization like the Bruins. Couldn't have done it without my teammates.”

At this point, there’s not much else that needs to be said about Pastrnak and his goal-scoring accolades. After leapfrogging both Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews on the leaderboard for top scorer in the NHL, it seems like a given at this point that Pastrnak (barring injury) will become the sixth Bruin to surpass 50 goals in a year — and the first since Cam Neely famously tallied 50 in 44 games back in ‘93-94.

But on a night in which Pastrnak continued to stake his claim as the next great goal scorer in the NHL, perhaps the most encouraging development was found down the other end of the ice. 



There's no doubting Pastrnak has emerged as an offensive juggernaut for the Bruins over the last couple of seasons. But a 200-foot player? While the effort is usually there, the winger still has a ways to go to earn that distinction, especially when comparing him to the defensive clinics his linemates in Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand have a knack for putting on.

Still, much like his offensive game, Pastrnak has continued to take major steps forward when it comes to rounding out his overall play this season — and that increased on-ice awareness paid dividends on Wednesday night.

On most nights, Pastrnak at his best when lurking around his "office" at the left circle, waiting in anticipation for a slick seam pass to find his stick during a man-advantage sequence. His speed, hands and positioning also make him deadly on the rush — where the winger can often slip past hurried defenders and beat goalies within a tight window with a crafty deke or dangle.

But in the second period of Wednesday's win, Pastrnak didn't wait for a puck to find his stick in the O-zone — he made his own scoring chance by way of a heads-up defensive play.

As Pastrnak circled back during a D-zone shift, he spotted Habs defenseman Jeff Petry first attempt to fire in a puck against Tuukka Rask from the slot. Petry relented from releasing the biscuit — the presence of Sean Kuraly and Joakim Nordstrom in the shooting lane prompting him to look elsewhere for a quality look.

The decision backfired in hurry.

Before Petry knew what hit him, Pastrnak picked his pocket, jostling the puck loose and giving Kuraly the window he needed to start a 2-on-1 counter rush. From there, the tools were used to seeing from Pastrnak (that speed and those hands) did the rest, as the forward beat Carey Price off a nice feed from Kuraly just seconds later for his second tally of the evening.



A strong forechecking shift from Pastrnak also allowed Boston to deliver the coup de grâce against Montreal with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation, with a turnover in the Habs' own end leading to Bergeron's empty netter shortly thereafter.

"He's really becoming an elite player in the league," Marchand said of Pastrnak's continued development. "The fact that he's able to continue to find ways to score when teams are really zoning in on him. It's very impressive. There's very few guys in the league that can do that and he consistently puts up with the abuse and guys shadowing him. His ability to find ways to score in different situations, it's very impressive. Even his defensive game is continuing to come along. He cares about that aspect, he wants to win and he's a great teammate."



The growth in Pastrnak's defensive game has clearly bled over into the numbers when it comes to assessing the 63-37-88's performance during 5v5 play.

For as much as the Bergeron line has been known as a two-way buzzsaw for years now, the forward trio was surprisingly mortal at 5v5 play in 2018-19. Sure, the line still managed to tally 28 5v5 goals in 462:16 of ice time together, but they were also on the hook for 24 goals against during that same stretch — equating out to a goals against per 60 minutes rate of 3.11. Not ideal.

Granted, this line does spend plenty of minutes matched up against other top forward trios, but the 2019-20 campaign has been much more fruitful for Boston's top forward group when it comes to stymying the opposition.

In 519:22 of 5v5 ice time so far this year, the Bergeron line has been out on the ice for 33 goals scored — and just 19 goals against. That equates to a goals against / 60 minutes rate of 2.19, close to a full goal lower than last year's totals. That's awfully impressive, and downright dominant when you factor in that line's goals for / 60 rate is 3.81.

Will Pastrnak challenge for Selke in three, four, five years time? Not likely. But if he continues to flirt with 50+ goals year in and year out, he doesn't need to. But as Wednesday's complete performance showcased, the B's scorching scorer is far from a one-trick pony.

"It's kind of scary to look at where his ceiling might be,” Marchand said of Pastrnak.