David Pastrňák led Boston’s win over Philadelphia with his third hat trick of the year and became the second Czech in NHL history to score 60 goals in a season. Thanks to his contribution, Boston managed the 63rd game in the current year and broke the league record for the number of wins. Pavel Zacha contributed to the record victory with a goal and an assist.
Pastrňák completed his fifteenth hat trick in the regular season of the NHL at the beginning of the third period, when he exchanged the puck with Tyler Bertuzzi in a two-on-one count and hit between the legs of goalkeeper Felix Sandström.
Two games before the start of the playoffs, Pastrňák is four shots behind the top scorer of the current season, Connor McDavid. The Czech gunner is two goals short of tying the national record for the number of goals scored in a season. Jaromír Jágr scored 62 in the 1995/1996 season.
The native of Havířovsk reached the goal of 300 goals in the NHL with his third hit in the match and joined the seven Czech scorers who did it before him. At the head of the statistics is the unattainable Jágr with 766 hits. The closest to Pastrňák is Petr Nedvěd, who scored 310 goals in the NHL.
Pastrňák added an assist on Zach’s goal to his hat trick at the end of the match. The former New Jersey player found a place between the circles three minutes before the end of regulation time and cleaned up Pastrňák’s bid for goalkeeper Sandström.
Defender Jakub Zbořil also made his mark in the match. The 26-year-old back set up a goal for Pastrňák to make it 2:1 and scored the fourth point of the season. Jakub Lauko and Tomáš Nosek did not score.
NHL:
Anaheim – Colorado 4:5 in overtime, Philadelphia – Boston 3:5.