It may have taken 804 games, and there may be a few gray hairs in his beard and sideburns these days, but David Krejci finally hit the 600-point plateau on Thursday night by way of his third-period strike in a 3-1 final over the Anaheim Ducks.
“That’s a nice number,” Krejci, who has seen his numbers take a dramatic swing upwards since skating between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak in the absence of Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk, said of the milestone. “I have been fortunate enough to play with really good players, so I can’t just give credit to myself.”
David Krejci's third-period goal made him just the 10th player in #NHLBruins history to reach the 600-point mark. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/nx8uYabFgX
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 21, 2018
In case you’re wondering, Krejci’s first NHL point came when he came through with the primary assist on a Marco Sturm power-play goal in the second game of the 2007-08 season. His career-high came with a 73-point 2008-09 campaign that saw slotted between Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler in what was one of Boston’s top second lines of the 21st century, but his best play undoubtedly came when he was the center for a line that featured Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton on the wings.
Obviously, Krejci hasn’t done it alone — not now, years ago when he worked as a late-season fill-in for Marc Savard, or ever — but there’s no denying the impact his success has on the rest of the Black and Gold roster, according to their head coach.
“Well listen, it’s a team game but individually these players, obviously enjoy having a certain level of success and if the individuals are having success, it breeds team success and vice versa,” Bruce Cassidy said. “Krejci looks good this year and we’ve had a few hiccups in the past, setbacks, but this year he’s been good.”