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Pastrnak Passes Bergeron As Bruins Rally Past Blackhawks In OT
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- Pastrnak Passes Bergeron As Bruins Rally Past Blackhawks In OT
Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
On Saturday, the Boston Bruins overcame a gritty challenge to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime as David Pastrnak achieved a huge career milestone. According to Yahoo Sports, the winger surpassed former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron to claim sole third place on Boston's all‑time goals list. It was a special night for the Czech star, but the game itself was a wild ride that saw the home team overcome a two-goal third-period deficit to secure their fifth straight home win.
A Historic Night for Pastrnak
The emotional weight of the evening centered on Pastrnak's place in Bruins history. He received a long lead pass from Pavel Zacha that cut through a flat-footed Blackhawks defense before he lifted a forehander under the crossbar, per The Boston Globe . This strike marked his eighth goal of the season and pushed his career total to 428. Bergeron, who spent his entire 19-year career in Boston, finished with 427 goals and 1,040 points before retiring, according to Yahoo Sports. Pastrnak called his former teammate an "unbelievable player" and said, "Obviously, I'm honored. I am blessed he is my friend and I am very humbled by it," The Boston Globe reported.
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The milestone comes at a time when Pastrnak is on a tear. With 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points, he is on pace for 45 goals and 107 points this season, The Boston Globe noted. If he maintains this rate, he could become one of only 13 times in NHL history to record five consecutive 100-point seasons. He is now just 31 goals away from passing Phil Esposito for second place on the team's all-time list. The only player ahead of him is John Bucyk, who holds the franchise record with 545 goals.
Blackhawks Struggle Despite Late Push
Chicago had its chances to ruin the party but could not finish. Per The Associated Press, the Blackhawks started the match with the NHL's least effective power play, managing only 4 conversions from 40 chances. They went 0 for 11 on the man advantage on the road. Even so, Connor Bedard and Anton Frondell found the net in the third period to hand Chicago a 4-2 advantage. Just 11 seconds after Will Borgen received a delay-of-game penalty, Frondell scored. The young goalie Arvid Soderblom faced heavy pressure, but Michael DiPietro kept Boston alive with key saves while the Blackhawks outshot them 28-13 in the first two periods.
The turning point came late in the third. Mason Lohrei scored to bring Boston within one goal, and with only 12 seconds remaining in regulation, Morgan Geekie netted his second goal of the season to send the game to overtime, The Associated Press reported. Geekie, who had not scored in his previous nine games, hit the post late in the first period before finding the net. He praised Lindholm's two-way play, noting, "I know he's been ripped on a lot the last couple of years, but he brings his all every night," The Boston Globe quoted him as saying.
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Overtime Decider
Elias Lindholm scored the winner 2:32 into the three-on-three overtime session. He received a pass from Charlie McAvoy, converted from a low position, and broke away from Oliver Moore. Before the goal, Lindholm sent some ice spray toward Soderblom. This goal lifted his season totals to 5-7–12, a pace for 67 points, which would be his best production since 2021-22 with the Flames. The victory improved the Bruins' record to 10-4-1 and snapped their two-game losing streak, NESN reported.
