2. Patrice Bergeron’s offensive explosion early in the season.
Over the last couple of seasons, Patrice Bergeron has been centering the first line with Marchand and Pastrnak. His two wings have got most of the headlines with the offensive production they have put up.
Last season in a 70-game shortened season, Pasta tied Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals with 48 goals to share the Maurice Rocket Richard Award. Marchy finished with 59 assists to go along with 28 goals. Bergy scored 31 goals himself with 25 assists, but this season in the absence of Pastrank through the first seven games, the Bruins’ new captain has produced more offensively than Boston had hoped.
Bergeron is tied with Marchand with 15 points. He has six goals, one behind Marchand, and is tied with defensemen Charlie McAvoy with nine assists. He is tied with Nick Ritchie, yes, that Nick Ritchie with four power play goals.
Bergeron’s best offensive night of the season occurred Wednesday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers. He assisted on all three of Pastrnak’s goals and then won the game 27 seconds into overtime when he stuffed home his own rebound for a 4-3 victory.
Pastrnak returned for the last four games and has five goals and three assists. Bergeron and Marchand had very good starts to the season without Pasta, but reuniting the leading goal scorer from last season with Marcy and Bergy is bad news for the rest of the East Division.