Bergeron's Example Continues to Grow

BOSTON - Despite spending over a decade in St. Louis while he starred for the Blues, David Backes' appreciation for Patrice Bergeron was abundant when he arrived in Boston in July 2016.
The veteran forward watched from afar as Bergeron helped the Bruins to a Stanley Cup and racked up Selke Trophies. But in his now two-plus seasons in Black & Gold, Backes has had a front-row seat to witness Bergeron's daily marvels.

"It's phenomenal. You see why guys are so connected with him and why he's such a great player in this league," said Backes. "He's not out there just cherry-picking and finding the easy ones. He works for every inch that he gets and he's doing all the ugly stuff, along with scoring the goals. And you can't be happier for a guy that is able to play a 200-ft game."
Bergeron's 200-foot game was on full display during Monday's home opener, as Boston's No. 1 center notched four points, including his fourth career hat trick, in the Bruins' 6-3 win over Ottawa at TD Garden.
"He's responsible defensively, he goes out for all the hard shifts in the D-zone, the penalty kill, and then gets his reward on the power-play," said Backes. "That hat trick is great, but that backhand pass saucer that lands on [David Pastrnak's] stick on the backdoor - I don't get it. We might have to have a talk tonight and he can explain that to me. Maybe I'll implement it next game."

If anyone was worried about Bergeron getting off to a slow start after missing the entire preseason as he rehabbed from offseason groin surgery and subsequent back spasms, those fears have quickly been put to rest. Through three games, the 33-year-old has compiled four goals and two assists, with his six points good for the third-highest total in the NHL.
"He's just impressive. He's a competitor. He takes a lot of pride in his game. For him to miss the amount of time he missed this summer, and missing preseason, it's incredible what he's able to do," said longtime linemate Brad Marchand. "Another reason why he's such a great leader…he wants to be the best player on the ice every night and he puts a lot of pressure on himself to be really good. He doesn't give himself excuses.
"He could easily say, 'I had a tough summer, I missed preseason, I have to give myself 10 games to get back into it,' but he doesn't accept that. He wants to be the best, that's why he is."
Bergeron's work ethic and leadership has clearly rubbed off on Marchand and Pastrnak, as the trio has come to be considered by many the best all-around line in the NHL. That influence was never clearer than in Thursday's win over Buffalo, when Pastrnak surged back to the defensive end and dove to break up a Sabres' scoring chance.
"Just making the right decisions around the ice and going back and playing good on defense," Pastrnak said of what he's learned from Bergeron. "Obviously that's my biggest weakness and I've been working on that, playing with great players like Bergy, a Selke winner.
"I have a lot to learn from him and he's helped me a lot on the D-zone and I feel way more comfortable in the D-zone with the puck and can see the right plays coming in my head. There will be breakdowns, but so far I'm happy."

That focus on the little things has a trickle down effect, making coach Bruce Cassidy's job that much easier.
"Bergy's going to lead," said Cassidy. "He's been around this league a long time. Marchy's growing into that. The guy that's become more of a leader is Pasta in his all-around game. He's very responsible.
"I see it with Jake [DeBrusk] more now, Danton [Heinen] last year, and now we need to bring it more into [Ryan] Donato's game and [Anders] Bjork's game. And they're going to watch a guy like Pasta because that's who they'd like to be in a couple of years, a guy that can score on a regular basis.
"But watch [Pastrnak] play the 200-foot game and the trust he's earned from a coach and his teammates. So, that's the one that I've noticed the biggest improvement"
Pastrnak's two goals and two assists in Monday's victory matched Bergeron's four points, making them the first pair of Bruins to compile four or more points in a home opener.
"It's one of those things that's kind of not necessarily always part of my game or something you see often," Bergeron said of his four-point night. "But they're definitely nice to have…one was a lucky bounce and great plays on the first two [goals] by Pasta and Marchy."
Boston's top triumvirate set the tone early when they connected on Bergeron's first tally just 30 seconds into the game. Bergeron added another goal on the power play late in the opening frame, before the alternate captain finished off his hat trick just 4:38 into the third to extend the Bruins' lead back to two goals. From beginning to end, it was a commanding performance.
"Really important," Bergeron said of the strong start. "Also, we stuck with it. It wasn't pretty at all times, we had some sloppy plays and the ice conditions were a little - you know sometimes the puck was bouncing left and right. We talked about keeping things simple and you know kind of going back to playing the right way.
"We got rewarded in the third. I thought we played a lot better and had some really good chances and, like I said, we stuck with it and now we can move forward to the next game."
But before completely shifting the focus to Thursday night's tilt with Edmonton, there is time to appreciate a bit more what Bergeron means to the Boston Bruins - not that anyone really needs a refresher.
"I've been impressed with everything Bergy does," said Cassidy, "to be honest with you."