The NHL season is long, grueling, and unforgiving - even the best of the best hit rough patches. And yes, that includes stars like David Pastrnak.
Scoring slumps are just part of the deal in this league. But what makes elite players stand out is how they respond - and how they contribute even when the puck isn’t finding the back of the net.
That’s exactly what we’ve seen from Pastrnak this season. While the goals haven’t come in bunches the way we’re used to, he’s leaned into the playmaker role with purpose, showing off his vision and hockey IQ.
He’s been just as dangerous setting up teammates as he is finishing plays himself - and that shift has opened the door for others to step up. One of those players?
Morgan Geekie.
When the Bruins picked up Geekie in free agency after Seattle let him walk, it didn’t exactly shake the foundation of the league. But quietly, he’s developed into a legitimate scoring threat in Boston’s system - a transformation even the front office might not have fully anticipated.
After setting career-highs in goals in back-to-back seasons, Geekie looked poised to do it again in 2025-26. Then came the slump.
For 12 straight games, Geekie couldn’t buy a goal. No bounces, no greasy ones, nothing.
But sometimes, all it takes is one - even in a game you lose big. That came in a 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, when Geekie finally got on the board again by redirecting a Pastrnak shot on the power play.
It wasn’t flashy, but it broke the dam.
Since then? He’s been on a tear.
Over the past week, Geekie has looked like a player reborn - confident, assertive, and locked in. He capped off his resurgence on Tuesday night with his 30th goal of the season, a perfectly placed wrister early in the second period that gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead over the Predators. Boston would go on to win 3-2 in overtime - with Pastrnak sealing the deal just 15 seconds into the extra frame - but the postgame buzz was all about Geekie.
Head coach Marco Sturm summed it up best: “Now, you can see, I think he’s enjoying the game again. I think that’s the biggest thing. He’s a happy camper right now.”
And that’s what should worry the rest of the league. A confident Morgan Geekie, finding the net and feeding off the chemistry with Pastrnak, adds another layer to this Bruins attack. If he keeps riding this wave into the Olympic break, Boston suddenly becomes an even tougher out - and opposing defenses will have more than just No. 88 to worry about.