“He does it his way, right? I can’t really compare him — maybe [Alex] Ovechkin a little bit.»
“He does it his way, right? I can’t really compare him — maybe [Alex] Ovechkin a little bit.»
You couldn’t have penned a more fitting script for David Pastrnak’s 400th career goal.
The venue? TD Garden, in front of a raucous crowd of nearly 20,000 fans.
The manner? A sweet set of dangles as the unchallenged forward tucked the puck past the goal line.
The opponent? The Maple Leafs — a team that Pastrnak has doled out plenty of misery against over the years (35 goals, 68 points in 54 career games, including postseason play).
And the result? A stream of black-and-gold sweaters embracing Pastrnak out on the ice — and the Bruins eventually leaving the frozen sheet with a 5-3 win over the Leafs.
“It was very special,” Pastrnak said of his teammates embracing him on the ice after he lit the lamp just 49 seconds into the second period. “I did not expect it. I didn’t even know it’s allowed, honestly, for 400 goals. I was worried that we were gonna get a penalty.
“I think that’s exactly when it hit me, when the guys came [out]. Obviously I’m very humble guy. And coming from where I’m came from — if you told me that when I joined this league [I’d score 400], I wouldn’t believe you.”
In Boston’s seventh win in a row — their longest win streak since their record-setting campaign in 2022-23 — Pastrnak led the charge for a Bruins team that has continued to defy expectations after trudging through a six-game losing skid in October.
