Why Patrice Bergeron’s offensive consistency deserves real recognition

There’s no debate that the Boston Bruins center is an elite two-way forward and perhaps the best the NHL has ever seen in that regard. His defensive abilities are world class. He’s won the Selke Trophy a record five times and is the favorite to win it again this season.

One underrated aspect of Bergeron’s skill set is his goal scoring.

He reached the 20-goal mark in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the New York Islanders at TD Garden. While 20 goals isn’t a ton, it’s the consistency that really stands out. It marked the 10th consecutive season Bergeron has scored 20 or more goals.

If not for the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, the Bruins captain’s streak probably would stand at 13 straight years with 20-plus goals.

Overall, Bergeron has reached the 20-goal mark 14 times in his career — the second-most of any Bruins player. Even at age 37, Bergeron remains a dynamic offensive player with 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 56 games.

If you dive deeper into some of the advanced stats, the picture looks even better for Bergeron.

Bergeron’s goals-for percentage of 73.81 ranks No. 2 in the league, per Natural Stat Trick. Boston has outscored opponents 31-21 when he’s on the ice during 5-on-5 action. Bergeron leads the league with a 63.57 scoring chances-for percentage at 5-on-5. The B’s are a plus-178 in scoring chances at 5-on-5 with Bergeron on the ice.