Patrice Bergeron isn’t showing signs of slowing down anytime soon.
While Torey Krug’s game-winner drew most of the attention in Thursday night’s 2-1 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers, it wasn’t the only noteworthy goal of the game.
Bergeron redirected the puck into the net during the second period, notching his 30th goal of the season. This marks the third consecutive year the 34-year-old center has hit the milestone and is the sixth occasion in his career. Bergeron joins Phil Esposito, Rick Middleton, Johnny Bucyk, Cam Neely and Peter McNab as the only Bruins to hit the 30-goal mark in a single season six times.
#NHLBruins with six 30-goals seasons:
Phil Esposito
Rick Middleton
Johnny Bucyk
Cam Neely
Peter McNab
Patrice Bergeron ✅ @PR_NHL pic.twitter.com/5KLG3wFowr— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 6, 2020
Linemate Brad Marchand knows how valuable Bergeron is on the ice and couldn’t help but praise him for accomplishing the feat after the game. In Marchand’s eyes, it’s not about flashy skills, it’s about a constant effort.
“He’s an impressive player, he’s just the perfect example of consistency. Every year he competes hard, he’s dangerous around the net, gets to the dirty areas. He gets rewarded for it. Very happy for him,” Marchand said, per NHL.com
There’s no doubt Bergeron’s reliability on the ice has contributed to the Bruins’ success, particularly in the latter part of the season. In the last 15 games Bergeron has scored, dating back to Dec. 21, Boston has gone 13-1-1. In that same timespan, the team is 9-6-4 when Bergeron hasn’t scored.
He’ll look to help the Bruins extend their four-game win streak Saturday night when Boston hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. ET on NESN.
