It’s Bergeron’s World…

(Photo: M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire)

That’s right, it’s Patrice Bergeron’s world–well rink—and we are all just fortunate to be living in it with him. Of course, he wouldn’t see it that way. He prefers to see himself only as he fits into the team, but in Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, he was practically unstoppable.

The Boston Bruins came into Thursday’s game with a 4-3-0 record, in an early regular season schedule that, for the team in black and gold, has been play a game and then sit back for three or four days before getting more game action. This made it difficult to ride the momentum of their overtime win this past Saturday over the Florida Panthers into Thursday’s home game against Detroit.

It took the Bruins top power play unit—comprised of Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, and Charlie McAvoy—just five seconds to score on the man advantage after Vladislav Namestnikov had been sent off for playing without a helmet. It was Bergeron’s goal with assists from Marchand and McAvoy. Though the team had a second power play about five minutes later, they couldn’t capitalize.

Normally the second period has been a difficult twenty minutes for the Bruins, but they came out strong and when they were once again on the power play almost halfway through the period, Bergeron put his second marker in, this time assisted only by Marchand. Eight minutes later and the hats came raining down onto the ice when Bergeron earned his third power play goal of the game, once again assisted by Marchand and McAvoy.

This was Bergeron’s 7th NHL career hat trick—a natural hat trick—and the game hadn’t even played two full periods.

When the game ended, the Bruins had outscored the Red Wings 5-1 and Bergeron had the first, second, third and fifth goals of the game—that fifth one was an even strength goal assisted by Marchand and Mike Reilly. And it was Reilly who got the fourth goal of the game—a shorthanded goal.

There had been conjecture about the lack of production by Bergeron, as the four goals he scored on Thursday were also his first four goals of the 2021-22 season. However, he wasn’t worried about it.

“I’ve been in the league long enough to know that it’s going to come back.”

Patrice Bergeron

“Honestly, I think it’s one of those things where I’ve been in the league long enough to know that it’s going to come back. Right? So, I think I have the experience too I can rely on and, you know, I think it’s about making sure you don’t force plays, or you don’t try to think about the end result but really go back and look at details and making sure you play the right way. Put yourself in good positions and eventually it’s going to come your way, right? So, that’s how I was approaching it. And ultimately, you want, obviously you want to produce and, with that being said, I think the last thing you can do is to put pressure on your shoulders, it’s going to make it worse for yourself. So, I think it’s about doing the right things and making sure you do some other things to help the team win,” Bergeron said after the game.

No one in the locker room was worried about the lack of production from Bergeron.

“Well, he’s too good a player to keep him down for long and that whole line, to be honest with you. I think Bergy’s [Bergeron’s] had some looks that haven’t gone in on as many as we’d all like.,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.

It was just a matter of time, and it wasn’t like it was January and halfway through the season. Bergeron’s “drought” was only seven games.

Talk to any of the Bruins players and they will all tell you they had faith in Bergeron and knew he would be back making plays, connecting on passes and scoring goals. Of course, probably not many of them would have bet he would have four out of the five goals of the game. He had five shots on goal and four went in.

Yes, it is Bergeron’s world, and his teammates are thrilled to be playing hockey with him in it. The rest of us are just happy we get to watch his skill and mastery of the game.