David Pastrňák, Bruins Break NHL Single-Season Record with 63rd Win by Beating Flyers
April 10, 2023
The 2022-23 Boston Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win 63 games in a regular season.
A hat trick from David Pastrňák lifted Boston to a historic 5-3 win over the host Flyers. The Bruins accomplished the feat with two games still remaining in the regular season.
Pastrňák is now the first Bruin since Hall of Famer Phil Esposito in 1975 to score 60 goals in a season.
The Bruins now have the potential set the win record even higher with games against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and the Montréal Canadiens on Thursday.
Quick strikes from the Flyers and Bruins in the first minute of Sunday's game kept the contest tied until the second period, when Pastrňák scored twice to give Boston a lead it would hold for the rest of the night.
In the final frame, Pastrňák finished off a two-on-one rush with a goal that would mark his third hat trick of the campaign, his 60th goal of the season and the game-deciding tally.
Pastrňák will now join the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid at the 60-goal mark. This is the first time since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr dominated the league in 1995-96 that two players have accomplished the feat in the same season.
A late push from the Flyers threatened to spoil the Bruins' historic night before Pavel Zacha wired a late insurance tally past Philadelphia goaltender Felix Sandstrom to ensure the win.
Even though the Bruins were in enemy territory, chants of "We want the Cup" echoed through Wells Fargo Arena as the clock ticked down to zero.
The Bruins, who sit atop the NHL standings with 131 points, now have another single-season record in sight. The 1976-77 Montréal Canadiens are the only other team in NHL history to earn more standings points in a single season. One more win, or even an overtime loss, and Boston will surpass them.
Boston has two more shots at this next record, and with Pastrňák continuing his season-long scoring tear—he has 11 goals in his last eight games—it will be hard to bet against the Bruins breaking it.