In a contract year, David Pastrnak has not disappointed for the Boston Bruins. The beloved Czech forward is once again doing what he does best, score goals. Since coming into the league during the 2014-15 season, Pastrnak has tallied 272 goals in 550 games. This includes six 30-goal seasons over his nine-year career. At 26 years old, the sky is the limit for Pastrnak, who seems to get better and better every season.
Pasta is no stranger to winning the Rocket Richard Trophy, as he was the winner back during the 2019-20 season when he scored a league-leading 48 goals.
Pastrnak is on his way to having a career year, as he has been one of the key pieces propelling the Bruins to the top spot in the NHL. The Bruins are enjoying their best start in franchise history, as they are now 32-5-4 with 68 points. Thanks to all this success, the Bruins are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender halfway through the season.
While the Bruins’ primary focus is winning the Stanley Cup, Pastrnak can kill two birds with one stone if he keeps up his high level of offensive efficiency.
Pasta has tallied 32 goals and 26 assists for 58 points on the season. Pastrnak’s effectiveness on the powerplay is a significant reason for his large goals total, as he has already registered 12 goals on the man advantage.
Pastrnak has some tough competition this year, with Connor McDavid leading the league with 37 goals and Tage Thompson on his heels with 31 goals. While it is always nice to be recognized for your achievements, Pastrnak has repeatedly demonstrated that he wants to win and score goals.
He is currently riding a three-game multi-goal streak as the Bruins are coming off their west coast trip. Pastrnak started the trip off by scoring two goals against the Los Angles Kings before netting another two goals against the San Jose Sharks. He concluded the road trip by registering a hat trick during their matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, which was the 13th hat trick of his career.
At his current pace, Pastrnak is set to score more than 60 goals this season which would set a new career high for the 26-year-old.
Pastrnak has the second-best odds to win the Rocket Richard Trophy, as he sits at +250.
