David Pastrnak put an exclamation point on his impressive week Sunday, recording a hat trick as the Boston Bruins smoked the Anaheim Ducks 7-1 at Honda Center.
The NHL recognized Pastrnak for his recent tear Monday by naming him the league’s First Star of the Week.
Pastrnak scored seven goals and added an assist for eight points in four games this past week. The Bruins went 4-0, first beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park and then defeating the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Ducks on the West Coast.
The 26-year-old scored two goals against the Kings and two more against the Sharks before Sunday night’s hat trick, which gave him 32 goals in 40 games this season. Only Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has more goals (33), and only McDavid (76) and his teammate Leon Draisaitl (62) have more points than Pastrnak’s 58.
Pastrnak now has six 30-goal seasons on his résumé, tying him with Cam Neely, Peter McNab and Patrice Bergeron for career 30-goal seasons as a member of the Bruins. Sunday night’s hat trick was the 13th of Pastrnak’s NHL career.
The Bruins sit atop the NHL standings with a 32-4-4 record. They’ll return to TD Garden on Thursday night for the start of a three-game homestand that includes matchups with the Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers.
