Boston Bruins Top 10 Playoff Goal Scorers

As the longest-tenured captain in Boston history, Bourque was part of a magical run with the club, which qualified for the playoffs for 29 years from 1968 to 1996. He played in the postseason from his rookie year in 1980 to 1996, netting 36 goals and 125 assists for 160 points in 180 games. During his tenure, he skated twice in the Stanley Cup Final, in 1988 and 1990, losing to the Edmonton Oilers both times.

9. David Pastrňák (37 Goals)

David Pastrňák is just in his 10th NHL season and already ranks seventh all-time in goals with 348. Considering he’s just finished the first year of an eight-year agreement he signed in 2023, there’s a good chance he will break the Bruins’ goal record, which Johnny Bucyk holds with 545.

Since Pastrňák debuted in 2014-15, he missed out on the team’s run to the 2013 Stanley Cup Final but was a key contributor during the Bruins trek to the 2019 Final. Considering he has yet to miss the playoffs in his career, Pastrňák has already collected 83 points in 81 games with 37 goals and 46 assists.

8. Peter McNab (38 Goals)

Peter McNab may have been a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, but his best seasons came as a member of the Bruins, where he played from 1976 to 1983. In 595 games, he collected 263 goals and 587 points, earning votes for the Lady Byng Trophy five times. As a clutch playoff performer, McNab had 38 goals and 74 points in 79 playoff games, losing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 1977 and 1978.

7. Johnny Bucyk (40 Goals)

As Boston’s all-time leading goal scorer, it is unsurprisingly that Bucyk’s name is on this list. Until Bourque broke his points record, Bucyk had the honor of being the Bruins’ highest scorer player with 1,369 points in 1,436 games, winning two Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972. While skating with the club for 21 seasons, he skated in 109 playoff games, netting 40 goals and 100 points. Overall, Bucyk played in five Stanley Cup Finals and missed the postseason from 1960 to 1967, but was a part of the team that started the 29-year streak in 1968.

6. David Krejčí (43 Goals)

David Krejčí wore the Spoked B sweater for 16 seasons. When the Bruins won their last Stanley Cup title in 2011, he led all playoff skaters with 12 goals, 23 points, and four game-winners. Then, in 2013, when the club returned to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games, he again led the league with 26 points thanks to an impressive 17 assists.

Krejčí played in the playoffs 13 times, reaching double digits in points five times, and finished his career with 128 points and 43 goals in 160 games. He ranks third in games played, sixth in goals, second in assists, and third in points, all respectable totals for a second-line center who often played in the shadow of Patrice Bergeron. One has to wonder what kind of production he could have had in the 2022 playoffs, opting to play in his native Czech Republic while the Bruins lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.

5. Rick Middleton (45 Goals)

Rick “Nifty” Middleton’s #16 sweater number hangs in the rafters at TD Garden. As the team’s most dominant scorer in the later 1970s and early 1980s, he owns the NHL record for most points in a single series with 19 points in an Adam Division Finals against the Buffalo Sabres in 1983.

Middleton played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs all 14 years with Boston, racking up 100 points in 111 games with 45 goals. His 33-point performance in 1983 remains the Bruins’ best individual effort in a single playoff run. He is only one of two players (Barry Pederson, 32 points) to surpass 30 points in a single postseason.

4. Phil Esposito (46 Goals)

Phil Esposito is one of the best players in the Bruins’ history. He became the first NHL player to score 100 points in a season and was a five-time Art Ross winner in nine seasons with the club. At the time of his trade to the New York Rangers in 1976, he was Boston’s all-time playoff goal leader with 46 goals in 71 games.

With 1,012 points in 625 regular season games, he netted 459 goals and was a staggering plus-306, which ranks fourth all-time. Esposito’s point-per-game average during this career stretch was 1.69, and he didn’t let up in the playoffs, reaching 1.43. As a member of the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup championships, his sweater #7 hangs in the rafters.

3. Patrice Bergeron (50 Goals)

Bergeron is the only skater to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy six times as one of the greatest offensive-defensive forwards in NHL history. He was a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning lineup and played in the 2013 and 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. In 19 seasons, he advanced to the postseason 14 times, where he played in 170 games.

During his postseason career, Bergeron came within five goals of breaking Cam Neely’s record but finished his Hall of Fame-worthy career ranking in the top five in both regular season and playoffs categories for goals, assists, points, and games. Bergeron is fondly remembered for skating in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final with several injuries that hampered his performance, leaving an unmatched legacy amongst Bruins faithful.

2. Cam Neely (55 Goals)

Neely’s career was marked by exceptional achievements. He was one of the elite power forwards of his generation, earning an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a three-time 50-goal scorer. What sets him apart is his unique feat of scoring 50 goals in less than 50 games, reaching the milestone in 1993-94 in just 49 games.

Unfortunately, knee injuries limited Neely’s career to 726 games over 13 seasons, during which time he netted 395 goals, good enough for a .54 goals-per-game average. The President of the Bruins still maintains the club record for most goals in a single playoff run, tallying 16 in 19 games in 1991. In 86 postseason games, he set the Boston record with 55 playoff goals that same season as the team lost in the Prince of Wales Final.

1. Brad Marchand (56 Goals)

Marchand’s career with the Bruins is a testament to his loyalty and passion for the team. He is the only player in the Bruins lineup from their last Stanley Cup title in 2011. After Bergeron’s retirement in 2023, the Bruins recognized his leadership qualities. They promoted him to the captaincy, an honor he’s earned throughout his 15-year career with the Bruins as one of the feistiest and most passionate skaters ever to wear the Spoked B.

As the longest-tenured player in 2024, seeing him climb the charts and overtake Neely’s playoff goal record is unsurprising. He scored his 55th lamplighter in the opening round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Even though many questioned whether or not Marchand was captain material, he’s beloved by an entire generation of Bruins fans. When he retires, he will finish his career as one of the best statistical players in team history.