SOUTH BEND, Ind. He does not know where he stands on the list. He can tell you who is first, because anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of recent hockey history recognizes its usually the same guy, but Bruins right winger David Pastrnak insists he is unaware of how he fits among the NHLs goal-scoring leaders. Should we tell him hes in the top five now, after he jumped on a power-play feed from center Patrice Bergeron to score his teams first goal of a in the 2019 Winter Cla sic before 76,126 at Notre Dame Stadium? Maybe not. But we definitely should tell you. Because Pastrnak is maturing into one of the elite scorers in the league, and other than the Bruins fans who know him well as Pasta, his name does not yet resonate around the league like an Ovechkinor Kane or Kucherov. MORE: Thats one thing you just dont pay attention to, Pastrnak told Sporting News. You just avoid things that Roger Dorn Jersey kind of bring you down and just play your game. I dont compare myself with Ovi and those guys. Those guys are a different level. Ovi does not really require a first reference, but just to be complete we will mention that 33-year-old Alexander Ovechkin ranks first in the NHL in goals scored with 29, just five ahead of Pastrnak. Pasta also is tied now for the league lead in power-play goals, matching the 11 scored by Winnipegs Patrik Laine. Pastrnak is the youngest player in the top 10, which seems incongruous given he already has two 30-goal seasons on his resume. He is far ahead of the pace he set the past two seasons, though, and his production reason whyBoston remainsin the Eastern Conference playoff hunt withBergeron and star defenseman Zdeno Chara mi singroughly half thisseason with injuries. This victory moved the Bruins into third in the closely contested in the middle, at least Atlantic Division. TOP 25 UNDER 25: Pastas been on an absolute tear, left winger Jake DeBrusk told SN. Everything the guy shoots goes in. Thats always nice to see. At his current pace, Pastrnak will flirt with the 50-goal mark, which is a long leap from the level he maintained in his first two seasons spent exclusively in the NHL. The Bruins havent had a player reach 50 since Cam Neely in 1993-94. Only four players not named Phil Esposito have ever done it with the Bs. Strong on the puck is the biggest thing with David, coach Bruce Ca sidy told SN. Hes maturing more physically. Its allowing him to win more pucks, stay on more pucks, stay on the puck longer, separate from people. I think early in his career he was probably more of a rush guy, and he still is, but now he can do it both ways. If we have to chip and chase it and create off the cycle, he can do that better. And I think thats a credit to the work he's put in during the summers, and just the normal maturing proce s. This New Years Day showcase offered Pastrnak an opportunity to make a national impre sion, and he did that both with the goal he scored and the celebration he delivered afterward. He skated toward the boards flapping his arms, a gesture many in the hockey world, including Bergeron and Ca sidy, perceived to be a nod toward Washington Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov. Will we see this celly on the ice, ? NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) Pastrnak said no, in fact it was something he was borrowing from LeBron James. I dont know. I gue s he had his thing. Good for him, Ca sidy said. Im glad he had a chance to do it. Exactly how much the Bruins were mi sing during Bergerons absence was on full display during the course of the Winter Cla sics 60 minutes, but never more so than on the sequence that allowed Boston to tie the game on a power play late in the second period. A mishandled puck by the Bruins near the blue line set Chicagos David Kampf on a breakaway toward a po sible shorthanded goal, but Bergeron dashed back and lifted Kampfs stick to save goaltender Tuukka Rask the bother of having to make a stop. Just a moment later, Pastrnak put a puck on Cam Wards net, and the rebound deflected right into Bergerons path. His one-timer made it 2-2. Bergeron with the back check and then the tying goal. NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) I saw that Pasta was starting to cough up the puck, so Im trying to get back right away, Bergeron told reporters. I had to catch the guy and make a defensive play. Once he went on his backhand, I knew hed go back to his forehand and I just lifted up his stick. After that, I saw them go for a change, and I think someone broke his stick. That was kind of the play, and I felt like we had an advantage there. It wasnt nece sarily pretty, but well take it, because I thought it was a goal we needed heading into the third period. Although both of Pastrnaks points in this game came on the power play, the line he forms with Bergeron and veteran left wing Brad Marchand was consistently impre sive in its play against the Blackhawks. A lot of hockey fans had the opportunity to see one of the leagues best trios. Obviously, Bergey and Pasta are two of the best players in the league, Marchand said. Every night we can be good. Sometimes were not great. But we have a lot of fun out there together. Manny Ramirez Jersey