Bruins’ David Pastrnak favored to lead NHL in goals

Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak is winning the battle for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the calendar turns to December. Join us as we handicap the market for most goals scored in the NHL.

Odds to lead the NHL in goals

David Pastrnak

Pastrnak leads the NHL with 25 goals through 27 games, which is five better than the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin through December 1. The Bruins’ right winger is showing no signs of slowing down, as he has tallied five goals over his last four games, including a hat trick in Montreal against the Canadiens on November 26.

He gets plenty of assistance from left winger Brad Marchand, who has 43 points on the year (third in the league). Pastrnak’s odds aren’t even that deflated, considering almost two months of hockey have gone by, so he’s not a bad bet right now. We’ll see if he can sustain his 23.1 shooting percentage.

Leon Draisaitl

Draisaitl began the year with a 12-goal October. Then he shared the wealth with Oilers teammates Connor McDavid (13 goals last month) and Zack Kassian (six goals last month) in November, when he notched just four goals of his own but tallied 19 assists. Draisaitl got back on track Sunday, when he scored two power play goals in a 3-2 victory over the Canucks. However, at just slightly higher odds than Pastrnak, Draisaitl is a bad bet to make up seven goals before season’s end.

Alex Ovechkin

Five goals in a three-game span (including a hat trick against the Red Wings on Saturday night) have catapulted Ovechkin to second in the NHL in scoring.

He has played one more game than Pastrnak, but the eight-time Richard Trophy winner’s résumé speaks for itself. Grab the NHL leader in shots on goal (135) at these odds while you still can.

Dark horse: Nathan MacKinnon

The consistent MacKinnon notched seven goals in October and 10 in November, including one in each of his last four games of the month. The Avalanche sniper is second in the league in shots on goal (127) through 26 games.

With his team gradually regaining its health, McKinnon is poised to make a run at the Richard Trophy at a nice price.

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