Bergeron Hits Another Milestone as Boston Wins in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. - For Jim Montgomery, it was the perfect example.
As the Bruins searched for some insurance in the third period, Patrice Bergeron remained true to his game. While Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak went to work down low in the Sharks' end, Boston's captain stayed well above the puck when he easily could have cheated closer to the net front in search of the dagger.
Bergeron's game, of course, is all about being responsible - and in the end, that put him in the perfect position when the opportunity came to make a play.
"The one time we're protecting the lead, it's 3-2 and he could be at the net front getting the puck but he's staying high and he's letting Marchand and Pasta go and work on the offensive side of it," Montgomery said following Boston's 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday night.
"Right after that, the puck came to him and he made the play to Pasta. I guess he's smarter than everybody else."

Bergeron's helper on Pastrnak's third-period marker was his second of the night, giving him 1,014 career points. His first assist, which came on Marchand's opening tally just over a minute into the contest, pushed him past Phil Esposito (1,012) for third on the Bruins' all-time scoring list. Ray Bourque is first in Bruins history with 1,506 career points, while Johnny Bucyk ranks second with 1,339.
"It's pretty special when you look at the guys that are up there, legends of the game, people that I have a lot of respect for and have had a tremendous impact on the organization but also the league itself, on hockey. It's special for sure," said Bergeron.

Montgomery, on several occasions this season, has remarked that given Bergeron's elite offensive abilities the pivot could have a much higher career point total if he had sacrificed some of his defensive instincts. That, however, has never entered into Bergeron's mind.
"That's just the way that I've learned the game," said the five-time Selke Trophy winner. "I never really stopped and worried about points and stat lines or whatnot. To me, it's all about the results and making sure that we do that as a team. For me, obviously I want to help my team as much as possible and be impactful on the ice.
"And it starts with defense and faceoffs and details. It doesn't always need to be on the scoresheet and shouldn't really matter. But obviously you want some results and you want to help and contribute offensively. But for me, that's not how I value my game."
Coincidentally, Bergeron's milestone point came as a result of one of his most valued attributes. After a sloppy first shift, the Bruins iced the puck and had a faceoff to the right of Linus Ullmark. Bergeron (67 percent on faceoffs vs. the Sharks) won the draw back to Charlie McAvoy, who found Marchand open by the opposite circle with plenty of running room in front of him.
Marchand then surged through the neutral zone and dangled through three Sharks players before finishing off a nifty backhander by San Jose goalie James Reimer to give Boston a 1-0 lead just 1:03 into the contest.
"It's special," Marchand said of Bergeron's latest accolade. "I'm so happy for him and everything he's accomplished and is going to continue to accomplish. He's such a great person and teammate and leader.
"You want to see guys like that succeed and he's just so humble…I get to sit by one of the best players to ever play the game. It's pretty special. We've been very fortunate to have him as our leader for the last 30 decades or whatever it is. It's a lot of fun."

Marchand, who has scored in back-to-back games, added two assists and extended his point streak to six games (three goals, six assists). Montgomery said the winger's "training camp is over, he's ready to roll" and called the winger the Bruins "best player since the Christmas break" as he continues to find his stride after missing the season's first three weeks following offseason hip surgery.
"It seems like he has his legs for sure," said Bergeron. "He's an impressive player, a character player as well. We saw that last game with the incident [with the non-penalty call] and bouncing right back and getting the lead for us. He just keeps getting better. He's a treat to play with and battles every shift. We always know what we're getting from him."
And the Bruins always know what they're getting when Bergeron and Marchand team up with Pastrnak as they have for the last two games with Jake DeBrusk sidelined by injuries he suffered in the Winter Classic. On Boston's fourth goal, Pastrnak won a puck battle behind the San Jose net and tapped the puck over to Marchand, who dished to Bergeron in the slot. Bergeron then quickly fired a feed across to Pastrnak in the left-wing circle where he finished off his second goal of the game.
"It's great. Just the way we still play, I think we just thrive together," said Marchand, whose three-point game was the 61st of his career, tying Bergeron for seventh most in B's history. "We just know where to go on the ice for one another and then Pasta just opens up so much. He's so dynamic, creates a ton all by himself, creates more room for Bergy and myself. It's a lot of fun, we enjoy playing together. It's going well."

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