Bruins after dark

It’s hard to find many bright spots in the Boston Bruins’ season, but David Pastrnak gave fans one reason to stay locked in — and now it feels like the NHL is leaving him out in the cold.

David Pastrnak started slow, but finished the season on an absolute tear

Pastrnak’s season started slow. Through the early months, he wasn’t even tracking toward a point-per-game pace. But once the calendar flipped to 2025, everything changed.

The 28-year-old winger went nuclear, torching the league with a 17-game point streak that included 15 goals and 18 assists — a blistering 33 points in that span.

By the time the dust settled, Pastrnak had 106 points, finishing top three in NHL scoring. On paper, that alone should put him firmly in Hart Trophy (MVP) conversations. But that’s not happening — and fans are furious.

As a team, the Bruins scored 222 goals this season. Pastrnak had 106 points. That means he had a goal or assist on 47.7 percent of their goals one report noted. That’s WILD!

No other player in the league is even over 42 percent.

That stat alone highlights just how much weight Pastrnak carried for a Bruins team that crumbled around him.

With key veterans traded, injuries mounting, and instability behind the bench, Pastrnak still put up a season worthy of any elite superstar.

But here’s the twist: the NHL reportedly won’t seriously consider Pastrnak for MVP honors — because the Bruins didn’t make the playoffs.

It’s a trend that continues to spark debate around the league: whether MVP candidates must come from playoff teams. In Pastrnak’s case, the argument feels especially hollow.

No player had a bigger impact on their team’s offense, and yet he’s being dismissed because Boston’s overall performance fell short.

This wasn’t just a great year — it was one of the most individually dominant seasons in recent memory. Yet despite his elite production, clutch performances, and undeniable leadership in a rocky campaign, Pastrnak is likely to be left off most MVP ballots.

For Bruins fans, it feels like a flat-out robbery.

This was another MVP-caliber year for David Pastrnak — and not recognizing it just because his team missed the postseason feels like punishing a player for what was out of his hands.