WATCH: Pastrnak becomes Bruins’ first 50-goal scorer since 1993-94 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
David Pastrnak continued to etch his name into the Boston Bruins record books Sunday by scoring his 50th goal of the 2022-23 NHL season.
The milestone goal came in the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.
Pastrnak is the sixth player in Bruins history to score 50 or more goals in a single season, and he’s the first to do it since Cam Neely in 1993-94. The team record for goals in a season is 76 set by Phil Esposito in 1970-71.
Sunday’s goal also was the 600th career point for Pastrnak.
Just four players have scored more goals than Pastrnak’s 290 since he entered the league in 2014-15. He has averaged 37.8 goals per season over the last seven years (including the 2022-23 campaign).
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Pastrnak’s 50 goals rank second in the league this season behind Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid‘s 60. The odds of Pastrnak catching McDavid for the Maurice Richard Trophy are slim. That said, it’s very possible for Pastrnak to be a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
The Bruins have the league’s best record at 56-11-5 and they rank No. 2 in goals scored. Pastrnak has played a massive part in that success offensively. In addition to his 50 goals, the 26-year-old right wing also has tallied a team-leading 46 assists and 96 points. Barring a surprising scoring drought over the final nine games of the regular season, Pastrnak will soon hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his career.
Pastrnak is one of the elite offensive players in the sport. Luckily for Bruins fans, they’ll get to see a lot more goals from the superstar forward in the coming years because he recently signed an eight-year contract extension that will keep him in Boston through the 2030-31 season.