Bruins forward David Pastrnak made his presence known in Boston’s 4-2 win over the division rival Montreal Canadiens when he recorded his 49th goal of the season, a new career-high.
The winger matched his career-high point total of 95 from the shortened 2019-2020 season as well, and with 11 games remaining in the season, Pastrnak should reach the elusive 50-goal mark and 100 points.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said postgame he believes Pastrnak will end up with around 110 points by the end of the season, but points don’t matter that much.
“What matters most is he is a brilliant player who’s incredibly creative,” Montgomery said. “He’s an incredible teammate, so we’re lucky to have him. Our fans are lucky that they get to watch him for another eight years.”
Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals, and is second to only Connor McDavid in the NHL. His eight-year contract extension gives him the opportunity to reach 100 points each year.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he eclipsed it year after year,” Montgomery said.
Pastrnak’s ability to change his shot is something Montgomery said is hard to defend as a goalie and why he is so successful. Montgomery explained that more often than not, goalies are expecting Pastrnak to shoot a one-timer, but if he doesn’t shoot the one-timer, he’ll go high glove side or slide it five-hole while the netminder is making adjustments anticipating the shot.
“That’s hard to process all that in a second-and-a-half,” Montgomery said. “But he makes it look like it’s five seconds. That’s how slow it is in his brain, and that’s why he’s elite.”
With his next goal, Pastrnak will become the first 50-goal scorer for the Bruins since Cam Neely did it in 1993-1994.
He will get the opportunity when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to TD Garden on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
