David Pastrnak on Sunday posed with the puck he used to score his 60th goal of the season in front of the whiteboard in the locker room that had “63 WINS” written in blue marker.
It was not the Boston Bruins’ biggest goal, but they now own the NHL single-season wins record thanks to their best player putting on a show.
Pastrnak recorded a hat-trick to reach 60 for the first time in his career, leading the Bruins to their 63rd victory of the season, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3.
Photo: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The win snapped a tie with the 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-2019 Tampa Bay Lightning.
“It’s been a lot of fun, I’m not going to lie,” Pastrnak said after his fourth four-point game this season. “It’s been enjoyable, especially the group we have here. We obviously knew the stakes, and it’s definitely special to hit it in a game like this. Made history today in the biggest league in hockey.”
Hats rained down from the many Bruins fans in attendance after Pastrnak scored his third of the game early in the third period.
The crowd chanted: “We want the Cup” in the final minutes, then showered players with cheers at the final horn.
“It’s hard to win in this league, and there’s a reason why this record is at 62 because not many teams can get there, so it’s a special honor,” said goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who made 34 saves. “These guys in this room are more than deserving.”
The Bruins have won six in a row and reached 131 points, one back of the record held by the 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens that has stood for nearly five decades, and with two games left against opponents well out of the playoff race.
In California, Nathan MacKinnon scored his second power-play goal of the game with 44.3 seconds left on the clock in overtime, and the Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Mikko Rantanen had two goals and two assists, and J.T. Compher also scored to help Colorado move two points ahead of the Dallas Stars atop the Central Division.
The Stars hold the potential tiebreaker with more regulation wins, which made MacKinnon’s one-timer from the left circle in the extra period that much more important.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946