David Pastrnak and the Bruins' offense head to Pittsburgh tonight, and Boston's leading scorer is already at 20 points.
Marco Sturm's team sits first in the Atlantic at 11-4-1 with a +20 goal differential. Most of that offense starts with number 88.
Pastrnak has 8 goals and 12 assists in 16 games, three of the goals on the power play. He also has a game-winner, so he's producing in every situation Boston throws him into.
Over his NHL career, he's at 849 games, 428 goals, 525 assists and 953 points. Those numbers put him on the doorstep of 1,000 points, a milestone he's approaching with a team that is winning.
The gap behind him is real. Elias Lindholm is next with 13 points, five of them goals, and two of those goals were game-winners. James Hagens has 12 points, a 6-and-6 split, which is a strong start for the Hagens and Lindholm relationship we covered last week.
Boston has scored 58 goals this season, and that total is spread thinner than the points race suggests. A seven-point gap between the first and second scorers is a lot for a first-place team.
Boston Hockey Now noted that the Bruins visit PPG Paints Arena tonight at 7:00 PM ET.
Can Boston's scoring depth travel?
The road is where that question gets asked. The Bruins are 7-1-0 at home and 4-3-1 away, so the offense has been easier to trust in front of their own fans.
Pittsburgh is a fair place to look for an answer. The Penguins are 5-8-2, they've lost three straight and they sit 29th in the NHL. Their goal differential is -3, while Boston's is +20.
Still, a team that gives up 52 goals in 15 games doesn't need much help to stay in games, and it has scored 49 of its own. Pastrnak can't be the only name on the scoresheet every night.
The Hagens-Lindholm pair is the best secondary story in this lineup. Sturm has kept preaching patience with James Hagens, but a 20-year-old with 12 points in 16 games is already forcing the issue. Bruins fans should want him pushing for more.
Boston has won two straight, including a 3-2 shootout win over Vegas on Monday. Pittsburgh is coming off a 3-2 loss to the same team, and the Penguins are 4-2-1 at home heading into tonight's puck drop.
