With this edition of Bruins grades we turn our attention to Boston’s wingers for the first time.
Today we’ll be taking a look at two of the Bruins top goal scorers, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
Player: Brad Marchand
Regular Season Stats: 34 goals, 51 assists, 85 points, +25
Post Season Stats: 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points,
Grade: A-
There are ten million things that could be said and need to be said about the enigma that is Brad Marchand, but his talent cannot be denied.
He may come with a lot of extra baggage, but he is undeniably the Bruins’ best player and the leader of the team.
He tied his career high in points (85) and pulled together another 30+ goal season.
The star forward lit up the score board with incredible numbers, but what’s impressive wasn’t just the fact that he scored a ton of goals, but how he scored them.
Eight of his tallies during the 2017-2018 season were game winning goals (five of which were scored during overtime).
Marchand’s season on paper was certainly one for the history books, but his hot headed nature continues to hold him back from being the best player he can be.
He was dealt yet another suspension (this time for five games) for elbowing Marcus Johansson of the New Jersey Devils. This marked his sixth career suspension.
Marchand might be one of the league’s forwards, but his lack of discipline continues to hurt the team. He can’t help the Bruins if he isn’t on the ice.
His antics on the ice go beyond just illegal hits however, he also has been known to pick unnecessary fights and even ……. Lick people.
Player: David Pastrnak
Regular Season Stats: 35 goals, 45 assists, 80 points, +10
Post Season Stats: 6 goals, 14 assists, 20 points, +2
Grade: A
David Pastrnak improved on his breakout season with an additional ten points and the addition of what I like to call the clutch gene.
Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron are elite, but it’s the stellar offensive skill of Pastrnak that rounds out the top line into the best in the league.
He scored the game winning goal on five occasions. Every time opposing teams focused their attentions of Marchand and Bergeron during clutch situations, Pastrnak made them pay.
The young forward somehow manages to keep flying under the radar despite his absurdly great numbers, but he is the x factor for the Bruins offense.
