By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones
The Boston Bruins have gotten off to a scintillating start to the 2026-207 season. Bruins head coach Marco Sturm has led Boston to a 7-2-0 record. The Bruins have been playing tremendous hockey on this four-game road trip. The Black and Gold bested the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings this past week.
During Boston’s time in the Golden State, the Bruins captain hit an impressive franchise milestone. Friday night in Anaheim, David Pastrnak potted a power play goal after pulling off an impressive passing sequence with Elias Lindholm. The tally was Pastrnak’s third lamp-lighter of the season and carried historical significance.
The goal was Pastrnak’s 423rd career score, moving him past Brad Marchand for fourth in Bruins’ history. The only three skaters to have found the back of the net more often while donning the Spoked-B are Patrice Bergeron, Phil Esposito, and Johnny Bucyk.
Pastrnak is right on Bergeron’s skate blades, as he sits just three behind his old centerman. Esposito and Bucyk rank significantly higher. Esposito sits comfortably in second place with 459 career goals as a Bruin. Bucyk is firmly ahead as Boston’s most prolific goal-scorer, with 545 career tallies as a member of the Black and Gold.
Pastrnak could surpass Bergeron this month to claim the third spot on the Bruins’ all-time goal ranking. Moreover, Pastrnak can surge past Esposito this season. If the talented winger pots 36 more goals this season, Pastrnak will claim the second spot.
Since debuting with Boston during the 2014-2015 campaign, Pastrnak has been one of the most productive skaters in the NHL. His vision, playmaking, hands, and shot make him a nightly nightmare for opponents.
His most prolific offensive campaign came in 2023, when Pastrnak set career-highs with 61 goals and 113 points. That was the start of his four consecutive 100-point campaigns.
Since that goal-scoring explosion, his playmaking has developed further. Over the past three seasons, Pastrnak has reached career-highs in assists each year. Last season, he cracked the 70-assist plateau for the first time in his career. That coincided with a down year in the goal-scoring department as Pastrnak finished with 29 goals, his lowest output since the shortened 2020-2021 season.
While his playmaking has become his primary point production, Pastrnak still possesses a wicked shot and quite often finds the back of the net following a dazzling display of stick-handling. He is one of the most electrifying skaters ever to wear a Bruins sweater.
It will be fascinating to see where Pastrnak’s name rests in Bruins history when he hangs up his skates. Bruins fans can take solace knowing that time is not around the corner. In his 13th year in the league, he is still in the prime of his career. Pastrnak has potted four goals and has picked up eight assists in Boston’s first nine games.
Pastrnak has already put up a terrific career as a Bruin. He has been one of the most dynamic skaters in the history of the franchise. And the winger clearly has a lot more chapters to write in Boston.
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