David Pastrnak is saying all the right things. He just wants to help the Boston Bruins win and doesn't care how many goals he scores.
He also doesn't play in a bubble.
So, the Bruins winger knew that Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews tallied two more goals Wednesday night -- giving him 12 goals in 11 games -- to cut Pastrnak's NHL goal-scoring lead to one entering Thursday night.
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"Well, obviously I saw it," Pastrnak said Thursday night after Boston's 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets, via the Bruins. "You know, there’s NHL Network every day in the room. So you see it. [He’s scoring] some nice goals. Good for him."
Better for Pastrnak: The 23-year-old racked up three goals Thursday night -- his seventh hat trick in the past two seasons -- to bring him up to 35 on the season and take a four-goal lead over Matthews.
Sounds like Matthews' run gave Pastrnak a little extra motivation, even if he won't admit it outright.
"Don’t overthink anything,” Pastrnak said when asked about the key to his success this season. "Just playing the same way and focusing on the stuff that I (need to)."
A Bruins player has never won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer since the award's inception in 1999.
But Pastrnak currently is on pace for 63 goals, which would be the most of any player in a single season since Alexander Ovechkin in 2007-08.
His 35 goals in just 45 games put him in rare air, as well.
Pastrnak now has six goals in his last four games, so this should be an exciting race between he and Matthews for the NHL goal-scoring crown.