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.
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