Kessel, on the other hand, seemed to be flourishing in the playoffs. While the Bruins did not progress, Kessel was one of the team's finest performers, scoring three goals and four points in four games. Kessel's success continued over to the 2008-09 season. Through 67 games, Kessel has 31 goals, 54 points, and a plus-19 rating. He leads all rookies with five game-winning goals. When Kessel first came into the league, many believed he would only last two seasons before leaving as a champion. Instead, he is now one win away from becoming only the third rookie in NHL history to score 50 or more goals (Ray Bourque and Luc Robitaille are the others). In addition, Kessel is only the fourth player in League history to score 30 or more goals while playing at least half of their team's games (Robitaille, Joe Malone, and Peter Stastny are the others). Even though Kessel has had some injury problems over the years, he has always managed to come back stronger. Most recently, he missed eight games due to an upper body injury but still managed to score six goals during that time period. When healthy, Kessel is one of the best players in the NHL.