Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak and his pursuit for 50 goals

As Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak continues to score, it’s hard not to wonder if he’ll eclipse the 50 goal mark this season. Here’s why he may get there and what it would mean for his team.

Since joining the Boston Bruins in 2014, David Pastrnak has scored 149 career goals to go along with 167 career assists. Much of his success thus far has come not only from his individual skill, but also from skating alongside Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and others.

Pastrnak’s natural ability to elude defenders and put pucks on the net has certainly been his forte over the years. And with 17 goals already on the season before Thanksgiving, one can only wonder if he’ll reach 50 on the season.

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We are roughly a quarter into the NHL season and he’s about a third of the way toward 50 goals. Pastrnak has been spectacular with the puck, as 22.1% of his shots have found their way to the back of the net.

At this point, it would take a prolonged injury, a cold stretch, or a change in offensive strategy for him to not reach 45+ goals at a minimum. That being said, hockey is very much a team game so most Bruins fans would take anything they can, records aside.

Should Pastrnak reach the 50 goal mark, it would likely indicate that Marchand and Bergeron, and perhaps Charlie Coyle and Krejci, were effective in moving the puck for him.

However, at the same time, one critique of Pasta over the years has been that he is often “too cute” with the puck. Some fans and commentators would rather have him put a puck on net than try and pass it away.

For the Boston Bruins to get the retribution they desire for last season’s bitter end, they’ll need a dynamic mix of brute physicality and elusive speed and finesse.

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While it’s a tough balance to find, Pastrnak and his pursuit of 50 goals will certainly add to the latter.

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